It was one of those online events you usually join with a sense of ease. A setting where participants feel safe to speak openly, share real-world experiences, and sometimes go just a bit deeper than they would in a more formal context. Because there\u2019s an implicit agreement: what\u2019s shared here, stays here. No recordings. No formal notes. No quotes afterward.
\nUntil suddenly, there\u2019s an extra \u201cparticipant\u201d in the meeting.
\nNot a person, but a tool. Fireflies. An AI assistant that listens, transcribes, and summarises.<\/p>\n
This moment raises a number of fundamental questions. Questions we tend to overlook in the excitement around AI.<\/p>\n
From an adoption perspective, this creates an interesting tension. Tools like Fireflies perfectly address a very real need: we want to work smarter, spend less time taking notes, and stay focused on the conversation. AI enables exactly that.
\nBut technology is never adopted in isolation.
\nEvery tool we use influences behaviour. And perhaps more importantly: it influences the behaviour of others.
\nSo ask yourself:<\/p>\n
\n“Did everyone in that meeting know they were being listened to and recorded?”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And if the answer is \u201cno\u201d what does that do to the dynamic of the session?
\nOpenness is fragile. It only exists when people feel safe. When that sense of safety is disrupted, often unconsciously, the conversation changes. Maybe subtly, but fundamentally.<\/p>\nDo we actually understand what these tools do?
\nA second question this raises: how well do we truly understand this type of tooling?
\nFireflies and similar AI tools:<\/p>\n\n
- Record conversations (audio and sometimes video)<\/li>\n
- Convert them into text<\/li>\n
- Generate summaries<\/li>\n
- And often store that data in the cloud<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Sounds harmless, until you translate it into context:<\/p>\n
\n
- Customer cases that may include sensitive information<\/li>\n
- Internal strategic discussions<\/li>\n
- Personal experiences or dilemmas<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Are we aware of where that data ends up?
\nWho has access to it?
\nHow long it\u2019s retained?
\nAI adoption isn\u2019t just about learning how to click the right buttons. It\u2019s about understanding what happens under the hood.<\/p>\n\nConsent: implicit or explicit?<\/h2>\n
At its core, this is not a technical issue. It\u2019s a social one.
\nEven if a tool is configured securely and compliant, the key question remains: can you just bring an AI note-taker into a conversation without asking?
\nIn physical meetings, the norm is clearer. You don\u2019t casually place a recording device on the table without telling anyone. In online settings, that boundary seems blurrier. Perhaps because the technology is so accessible.
\nBut convenience doesn\u2019t equal permission.
\nMaybe this is the moment to define new etiquette:<\/p>\n\n
- Inform participants in advance when you\u2019re using an AI tool<\/li>\n
- Ask for explicit consent<\/li>\n
- Allow people to object<\/li>\n
- Respect it if someone feels uncomfortable<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Not just because regulations might require it, but because trust does.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The role of the organiser<\/h2>\n
Equally important is the role of the event organiser.<\/p>\n
\n
- Were they aware of this \u201cextra attendee\u201d<\/li>\n
- Did they have any policies in place?<\/li>\n
- Or was this left entirely to individual participants?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
More and more organisations are setting clear rules around recordings, screenshots, and content reuse. Yet AI tools are often still left out, simply because they\u2019re relatively new or haven\u2019t been explicitly considered.
\nThat\u2019s understandable. But it\u2019s not sustainable.<\/p>\nOrganisers need to start asking:<\/p>\n
\n
- What do we allow within our events?<\/li>\n
- How do we communicate this to participants?<\/li>\n
- How do we enforce it in a practical way?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Not to block innovation, but to make the rules of the game clear.<\/p>\n
\nThe grey area of good intentions<\/h2>\n
What makes this topic particularly interesting is that the intent is rarely malicious.
\nThe person who adds Fireflies most likely thinks:<\/p>\n\n
- “I just want good notes\u201d<\/li>\n
- \u201cI don\u2019t want to miss anything\u201d<\/li>\n
- \u201cThis helps me work more efficiently\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
And that\u2019s exactly where adoption becomes complex.
\nPeople act from their own perspective. Their own productivity gains. But they don\u2019t always see the broader impact on the group.<\/p>\n\nThis is not about right or wrong.
\nIt\u2019s about awareness.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nAI adoption is also social innovation<\/h2>\n
We often talk about AI in terms of technology, governance, and security. But in practice, the biggest challenge lies elsewhere.
\nAI is changing how we collaborate.
\nIt introduces new dynamics:<\/p>\n\n
- Who is \u201clistening\u201d?<\/li>\n
- What is being captured?<\/li>\n
- Who owns that information?<\/li>\n
- Who gets to decide that?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
That requires new agreements. New norms. New sensitivities.
\nAnd perhaps most importantly: new conversations.<\/p>\nTime for ground rules<\/h2>\n
Maybe it\u2019s time to stop viewing AI tools like Fireflies as an individual choice and start seeing them as a shared responsibility.
\nA few simple ground rules can already make a big difference:<\/p>\n\n
- Transparency first: No hidden AI participants. Always visible and clearly announced.<\/li>\n
- Explicit consent: Don\u2019t assume, ask.<\/li>\n
- Context matters: What works in an open webinar doesn\u2019t automatically fit a confidential session.<\/li>\n
- Minimise data collection: Capture only what\u2019s truly necessary.<\/li>\n
- Build awareness: Talk about it. Make it discussable.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Finally: technology is never neutral<\/h2>\n
We often describe tools as \u201cneutral\u201d. But they\u2019re not.
\nEvery tool shapes behaviour. Alters interaction. Influences trust.
\nThe rise of AI note-takers like Fireflies forces us to reflect on something fundamental:
\n\u201cHow do we want to collaborate in a world where everything can be recorded?\u201d
\nThe answer doesn\u2019t lie in the tool itself.
\nIt lies in how we choose to use it.<\/p>\n\nBecause ultimately, adoption is not a technical challenge.
\nIt\u2019s a human one.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It was one of those online events you usually join with a sense of ease. A setting where participants feel safe to speak openly, share real-world experiences, and sometimes go just a bit deeper than they would in a more formal context. Because there\u2019s an implicit agreement: what\u2019s shared here, stays here. No recordings. No…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ai","category-it-adoption"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artofadoption.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artofadoption.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artofadoption.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artofadoption.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artofadoption.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/artofadoption.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":243,"href":"https:\/\/artofadoption.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241\/revisions\/243"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artofadoption.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artofadoption.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artofadoption.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artofadoption.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}