Artificial intelligence is changing the workplace at remarkable speed. Meeting assistants can now record conversations, produce transcripts, summarise discussions and even draft meeting minutes within moments of a meeting ending. This trend raises an obvious question.

Does anyone still need to learn minute taking?

The answer is mixed. High-level meetings, confidential meetings and Board Meetings often prohibit recording and transcripting. This means that senior EAs are often needed for Minute Taking. Many people see minute taking as an administrative task. However, the master of minute taking, Company Secretaries, know it is much more than that. It is more like a test of your ability to understand the big issues in a meeting and in an organisation and to write them succinctly and accurately.

For Executive Assistants, Minute Taking is one of the fastest ways to build commercial awareness, develop strategic thinking and gain exposure to senior leadership. It is also a skill that technology simply cannot replace in every situation.

Minute Taking Is About Understanding Business

Good meeting minutes are never about capturing every word that is spoken. They are about identifying important discussions, accurately recording decisions, documenting actions and creating a clear record that people can rely on. That takes judgement and courage. When we say courage, we mean assertiveness. A good minute taker will not think twice about prompting the meeting to move on or to clarify points. This, as of yet, cannot be matched by AI. These human elements of being able to judge, vocalise and read the room are the skills that make an exceptional minute taker.

An experienced Executive Assistant learns to understand the context behind a discussion, recognise when a decision has been made and identify what really matters. Those are professional skills that become more valuable as responsibilities increase. Learning how to take minutes also means learning how organisations work.

A Front Row Seat to Leadership

When you are responsible for producing the meeting minutes, you are often invited into the most important conversations in the organisation. You hear leadership teams discuss strategy,  how budgets are allocated and observe how difficult decisions are made. Minute Takers begin to understand risk, governance, organisational priorities and commercial thinking. They also see politics and the behaviours of the senior management up close. This is a very unique level of exposure that few can experience.

For many Executive Assistants, these meetings become an informal education in leadership and business strategy. Over time, this knowledge builds confidence, credibility and the ability to become a genuine strategic partner rather than simply providing administrative support.

Building Trust With Senior Leaders

Producing accurate and well-written meeting minutes also builds something that every Executive Assistant values. It shows your ability to appreciate the organisation’s strategy and to build trust in your abilities.

Senior leaders quickly recognise the people they can depend on to capture discussions professionally, maintain confidentiality and communicate decisions clearly. It is this trust and recognition that often leads to greater involvement in strategic projects, board meetings, governance committees and high-profile initiatives. Minute taking is often the doorway to opportunities that extend well beyond administration.

AI Is A Powerful Tool Not A Complete Solution

There is no doubt that artificial intelligence has transformed the way meetings are documented. Platforms such as Microsoft Copilot, Otter AI, Fireflies AI, Fathom, Read AI, Avoma and Notta can all help produce transcripts, summaries and draft meeting minutes. These tools save time and reduce administrative effort. When used well, they allow Executive Assistants to focus on listening, participating, and supporting senior leaders rather than trying to capture every sentence.

However, their limitation is that they cannot necessarily read the room, vocalise when the meeting is being run poorly or use professional judgement. Artificial intelligence cannot always distinguish between a discussion and a decision. It may misunderstand organisational context, miss subtle nuances or incorrectly identify actions and priorities.

Meeting minutes are often formal business records. Therefore, accuracy still matters very much.

Some Meetings Will Always Need A Human Minute Taker

There is another reason why minute taking remains an essential professional skill. Some meetings simply cannot be recorded.

  • Board meetings.
  • Confidential governance discussions.
  • Legal matters.
  • Disciplinary hearings.
  • Sensitive commercial negotiations.
  • Meetings involving highly confidential information.

In many organisations, recording these conversations is either restricted or completely prohibited. In these situations, a skilled Executive Assistant is indispensable. The ability to listen carefully, capture key information in real time and produce accurate minutes remains one of the most valuable skills an Executive Assistant can possess.

Do Not Miss The Learning Opportunity

One unintended consequence of artificial intelligence is that newer Executive Assistants may never develop the discipline and judgement that manual minute taking provides. If technology captures every meeting from the very beginning, there is a risk that an important professional skill slowly disappears. That would be a mistake.

Learning to take minutes develops active listening, critical thinking, organisation, concise business writing and commercial awareness. These are skills that continue to add value throughout an Executive Assistant career. Technology should enhance these abilities, not replace them.

Can a Minute Taker be replaced by AI?

In short, yes. Some meetings do not need detailed minutes, and an AI solution makes sense. Additionally, if the Minute Taker does not read the room, make a judgement, or step in to vocalise when the meeting needs guidance, they are acting as a note-taker. In reality, there is very little difference from someone delivering minutes like this to an AI solution.

The Future Belongs To Executive Assistants Who Can Do Both

The future of minute taking is not about choosing between people and artificial intelligence. It is about knowing when to use each. Artificial intelligence can provide a helpful starting point and take the burden off at less important meetings.

However, a skilled Executive Assistant provides judgement, context, discretion and accuracy. Some of these qualities cannot be automated.

Additionally, if you are looking to build your career, strengthen your strategic capability and become a trusted partner to senior leaders, learning how to produce professional meeting minutes remains one of the smartest investments you can make. As technology continues to evolve, please remember that professional judgement never goes out of date.

As with most trends for Executive Assistants, more admin-focused work is likely to be automated by AI, but professional judgement, emotional intelligence and strategic awareness are likely to become more valuable. This applies to minute-taking just as much as the rest of the role. You can see details of our Minute Taking Courses on the course page.