As part of OIT’s continuous efforts to enhance our community’s virtual meeting experiences, we are excited to announce the recent activation of Zoom’s AI Companion tool at SMU, a tool that offers meeting hosts the ability to generate an AI-generated meeting summary based on the transcript of any meeting scheduled with SMU’s Zoom. This advanced tool is designed to help hosts generate AI-authored summaries of virtual meetings, ensuring that important discussions and decisions are accurately documented and easily accessible. However, OIT is witnessing an increasing use of personal, non-institutional AI summary technologies; we want to remind our community that it is essential that, while at work, we must all adhere to safe practices that respect all participants’ privacy. Here are some key do’s and don’ts to keep in mind.
Do’s
Always Inform Participants in Advance
- Remember to always provide full disclosure to your meeting participants if you plan to use ANY AI transcription or summary tools. Let everyone know at the start of the meeting if you plan to generate an AI summary.
- Pro Tip: Be sure to include an advanced notice in your meeting invitation or agenda about your intended use of ANY AI transcription or summary tools. This will allow participants to be aware beforehand and to contact you in advance if they have any questions or concerns.
Use Institutional Tools
- Where possible, please only utilize SMU-approved AI meeting summary or transcription tools, such as the new Zoom AI Companion. This tool has been vetted for compliance with data privacy and security standards and features a user interface that transparently informs participants when they are being recorded, transcribed, etc.—which allows them to contact you if they have any questions or concerns. Where possible, the use of personal Generative AI meeting summary tools such as otter.ai, fireflies.ai, and read.ai should be curtailed with the recent activation of Zoom’s AI Companion.
- Pro Tip: In all cases where a Generative AI summary is created, please ensure that summaries are securely stored and shared only with authorized individuals or groups who need access to the information.
Obtain Explicit Consent
- Like recordings, be sure to ask for explicit consent from meeting participants before starting an AI summary. This can be done verbally at the beginning of the meeting or through pre-meeting notification.
- Pro Tip: Be sure to respect any objections from participants regarding the use of AI summary tools. Offer alternatives, such as taking manual notes if needed.
Review AI-Generated Summaries
- Always carefully review ANY AI-generated summaries for accuracy and completeness before distributing. AI tools can sometimes misinterpret conversations or miss critical points.
- Pro Tip: Carefully edit and annotate the summaries as necessary to provide clear and accurate records of the meeting discussions.
Don’ts
Curtail Use of Unauthorized Tools
- Where possible, curtail use of non-institutional personal AI meeting summary tools, such as Read.AI and Fireflies.AI now that Zoom’s AI Companion is available. These tools may not comply with SMU’s data and privacy policies and could pose, privacy, security, and data risks.
- Never bypass institutional privacy protocols for the convenience of using personal AI summary tools. This can lead to data breaches and privacy violations.
Never, Ever Make an AI Summary or Record Without Consent
- Never record virtual meetings or generate AI summaries of participants’ voices without their full knowledge and consent. This practice is a violation of privacy and trust.
- Do not assume implicit consent just because participants join the meeting. Always obtain explicit permission.
Do Not Distribute Without Review
- Avoid distributing AI-generated summaries without first reviewing and verifying their accuracy. Unchecked summaries can lead to misunderstandings or misinformation.
- Do not share summaries with unauthorized individuals or external parties without proper clearance and necessity.
Generative AI technologies are changing our world and the way we work very, very quickly. By understanding and adhering to some simple do’s and don’ts, you can help us ensure that the use of AI meeting transcription technologies at SMU is both effective and respectful of participants’ privacy. Our goal is to enhance productivity and collaboration while maintaining trust and transparency. If you have any questions or need further assistance with using Zoom’s AI Summary Companion. Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to ethical AI practices.
