AI meeting assistants or “bots” can be used for monitoring, summarizing, and recording virtual meetings. They are powerful tools for the purposes of accessibility and convenience but should also be used with caution. Whenever AI is involved, you should know how its use could impact your privacy and security. 

Showing Up Without an Invitation

Recently, some people have experienced the addition of AI bots to their meetings without intending to include them. One person received a link in order to get a summary of a meeting that they attended and was prompted to connect their calendar. After taking this step, the AI bot automatically began attending all of their meetings. 

AI Bots Might Pose a Security Risk

As members of the Cornell community, it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect both confidential and personally identifiable information (PII) that is shared within meetings.

AI bot use isn’t an issue where advance consent has been given, and contractual protections or restrictions on what the vendor can do with the data and PII collected are in place. However, when AI bots are attending meetings and their presence hasn’t been accounted for, they are potentially a security risk. In these cases, the bot’s activity may violate important legal restrictions such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (known commonly by the acronym “FERPA”).

Give Bots the Boot 

If you notice that there are participants in your meeting with names such as “assistant” or “note taker,” and the bot’s presence hasn’t been vetted or discussed, it’s best to remove the bot altogether.

Learn how to prevent unwanted AI bots in Zoom sessions, and how to remove them from meetings in progress.