Am I the only one who finds it awkward when an AI notetaker bot joins the call as a "participant"?
Last week I was on a first call with a potential client. Three people joined: me, her, and AI Bot.
She didn't mention it. I didn't ask. But I noticed I started talking differently. More careful, more filtered, like everything was on the record. Because it was.
I asked a few founder friends and got completely opposite reactions:
Half of them said "who cares, notes are notes, I have one in every meeting"
The other half said they immediately trust the other person less, and one sales guy told me prospects literally go quiet when a bot is in the room.
So now I'm genuinely curious where people stand:
1. Do you use one? Do you announce it or just let it sit there?
2. Has anyone ever asked you to kick the bot out of a call?
3. And the real question: do YOU talk differently when you see one join?
Replies
WebCurate.co
Yeah, I definitely talk a bit differently when I notice one join the call.
I don't mind AI notetakers, but I think it's better when people mention it upfront. It's a small thing, but it makes the meeting feel more transparent and less awkward.
@hosseinyazdi Same here, and it's funny because I'm not even against them. It's purely the not mentioning it that changes the vibe. A one-liner like "heads up, I have a notetaker on so I can actually listen" would fix 90% of the awkwardness. Do people actually do that in your experience, or does the bot just silently appear?
I don't use one regularly, but if I did, I'd always mention it upfront. It only takes a few seconds to explain that it's there to help me focus on the conversation rather than taking notes, and I think that transparency builds trust.
I haven't had anyone ask to remove one, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did—especially in early-stage fundraising, hiring, or other conversations where people are sharing ideas that aren't fully formed.
Yes, I definitely speak differently when I see one join. I'm not less honest, but I'm more deliberate. I tend to share fewer tentative thoughts or brainstorms because everything is being transcribed. Some of the best conversations happen when people feel comfortable thinking out loud, and that can be harder when it feels like every sentence is becoming part of a permanent record.
@stephanie_t0317Â "I'm not less honest, but I'm more deliberate" is the most precise way I've seen anyone put this. That's exactly the cost nobody prices in. The meeting still happens, the notes still get taken, but the thinking-out-loud part quietly disappears, and that's often where the actual value of the call was. The fundraising and hiring examples are spot on too, those are exactly the conversations where half-formed thoughts matter most.
Answering my own question 3 since it's only fair: yes, I talk differently, and what bothers me is that I didn't decide to. It's involuntary. The moment I see a bot in the participant list some part of my brain switches from "conversation" to "deposition". Best description I've heard so far came from a friend who said it feels like there's a court stenographer at dinner.