AI note takers make recording meetings effortless, which is exactly why consent has become a legal question. This guide explains why these tools raise special issues, what the pending lawsuits allege, and a checklist for recording responsibly. It isn’t legal advice. Laws differ by country and state and change quickly, so check with a qualified professional for anything important.
The short answer
Tell everyone before you record, get their agreement and check the rules where you and the other participants are. Don’t assume that one person’s consent is enough.
Why AI note takers raise special issues
Auto-join. Some tools join scheduled calls automatically through calendar integration, so a bot can appear in meetings with people who never signed up.
Third parties. The person who runs the tool may consent, but the other participants may not have.
Voiceprints. Some tools identify speakers by voice, which some laws treat as biometric data.
Training. Questions arise over whether recordings are used to improve AI models.
Cloud storage. Recordings and transcripts sit on vendors’ servers and may be subject to retention and legal requests.
What the law generally says
In many places, recording a conversation you’re part of is allowed if at least one participant agrees. In others, all participants must agree. Legal summaries describe California and Illinois as all-party consent states in the US, and other states and countries have their own rules, with data protection laws such as the GDPR adding transparency requirements. Because participants can be in different places, the stricter rule can apply.
The lawsuits in brief
According to legal summaries:
Otter.ai. In re Otter.AI Privacy Litigation consolidates four class actions filed in 2025 in federal court. They allege Otter’s meeting agent recorded people who never consented and used recordings to train models. On August 13, 2026 the judge let the wiretap, California privacy and Illinois biometric claims proceed. Otter denies the claims and the case is in discovery.
Fireflies.ai. Two biometric privacy suits in Illinois allege its notetaker captured voiceprints of people who never signed up.
Others. A legal roundup lists suits involving Granola and Microsoft Teams live transcription. We couldn’t verify the details.
No court has ruled that any of these tools acted illegally. These are allegations, and the cases may take years.
A checklist for recording responsibly
- Say at the start of the call that you’re recording and get a clear yes.
- Avoid auto-join for external or sensitive meetings.
- Don’t record calls involving legal, medical, financial or personal matters without clear permission.
- Check your employer’s or school’s policy on AI recording tools.
- Read each tool’s privacy terms, including training use and retention.
- Check whether the tool lets you opt out of model training. Granola, for example, reserves organisation-wide opt-out for its Enterprise plan.
- Delete recordings you no longer need.
- Share summaries only with people who were in the meeting or who need them.
Bot or bot-free
A visible bot makes recording obvious, which helps with transparency. A bot-free tool, such as Granola or MeetGeek’s bot-free mode, doesn’t change the need for consent. It only changes whether others can see you’re recording.
Our reviews
Our reviews of Otter, Fireflies, Fathom, Granola, MeetGeek and tl;dv note their consent features and known issues. See our list of the best AI note takers.
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to use an AI note taker?
Often yes, with consent. Rules vary by location, so check them.
Is Otter.ai illegal?
No court has ruled that it is. It is the defendant in a pending class action.
Do I need to tell people I’m recording?
Yes, as good practice and often as a legal requirement.
Can a bot-free tool record without consent?
It can capture audio, but you still need consent where the law requires it.
Does the tool train its AI on my meetings?
It depends on the tool and plan, so read the privacy terms.
How we researched this guide
This guide is based on legal summaries of the 2025 and 2026 AI notetaker lawsuits, our tool reviews and each tool’s published terms (checked November 5, 2026). It is general information, not legal advice, and laws change often.