In the relentless pursuit of efficiency and productivity within the corporate world, our organization found itself entangled in time-consuming and unstructured meetings. These meetings, often marked by an obvious lack of preparation, had become a notorious black hole for time and energy, leading to a collective hunger for a solution that could save us from an overload of meetings. While the AI solution we designed is proving to be successful it also plunged us into a philosophical exploration of the role of AI in the workplace.

‍

The Quest for Structured Meetings

Our initial attempt to remedy this situation involved the deployment of meeting agenda templates coupled with a suite of educational content aimed at guiding meeting owners towards more structured, purposeful discussions. This approach showed some improvement, but it was sort of like putting a band aid on a flesh wound — it worked, but not really.

The crux of the issue with agenda templates lay in their demand for a high level of cognitive effort and job experience from the meeting organizers. The templates, while initially effective, soon proved to be a temporary fix. Over time, participants and organizers reverted to their old, unproductive habits, rendering our initial solution insufficient.

‍

The AI Revolution

In our quest for a more permanent solution, we turned to artificial intelligence, developing a solution designed to automate the agenda creation process. This tool, powered by sophisticated algorithms, was designed to generate meeting agendas tailored to the specific needs of each meeting, ensuring relevance and strategic focus without the cognitive overload previously placed on meeting owners.

The AI-generated content was embraced more consistently and over a longer period than any solution we had tried before. Its capacity to learn and adapt made it a valuable asset in the quest for efficient (and better) meetings. However, as its usage became more widespread, a provocative question emerged: If AI is generating the content of our meetings, who is truly in control?

‍

The AI Assistant Paradox

This question plunged us into a philosophical exploration of the role of AI in the workplace. On one hand, the AI-driven agendas were undeniably useful and efficient (also, very smart) at driving the conversations and topics of discussion to better meetings. But, on the other hand one question emerged. Are we inadvertently relinquishing control, letting AI shape our professional interactions and possibly the future direction of our company? 

This journey leads us to a critical reflection on our relationship with AI in the professional sphere. Are we, by integrating such technologies, steering ourselves towards becoming better professionals, capable of leveraging AI to augment our productivity and decision-making processes? Or are we unwittingly ceding control, allowing AI to take the lead, making us the assistants to AI?

‍

Who’s the assistant? AI or Us?

In leveraging AI for meeting agendas or any other professional tool, do you feel empowered, in control, and poised to become a better version of your professional self? Or do you perceive a risk of becoming a bystander in an AI-driven workflow, potentially at the expense of your autonomy, creativity, professional growth, and ultimately your job?

‍

Reflections and Forward Thoughts

The balance between harnessing AI's capabilities and maintaining human oversight is delicate. Our experience suggests that while AI can significantly enhance our efficiency and effectiveness, the ultimate power and responsibility still rest with us, the human users. We dictate the terms of our engagement with AI, ensuring it serves as an extension of our will, rather than a replacement.

Our experience revealed that while AI can guide and structure the conversation, the essence and outcome of the meetings remained firmly in the hands of human participants. The AI was a tool, albeit a powerful one, designed to enhance our capabilities, not diminish them. It facilitated more productive meetings, but the strategic direction and decision-making processes remained human-led endeavors. Humans were necessary for the AI to do its job well.

At the dawn of this technological advancement, it is imperative that we navigate it with intention, ensuring that AI remains a powerful ally in our pursuit of excellence that works with us, rather than a usurper of our professional agency.

Despite the initial apprehension, the incredible utility of the AI left us eagerly anticipating its return, as it cheerfully promised, "I'll be back." The prospect of its comeback fills us with optimism for even more productive meetings ahead.

Try out the AI-Meeting Agenda Generator and let us know. Does this make you a better meeting professional or is this one step closer for us becoming an assistant to AI?

‍https://meeting.meetrics.ai/create

‍