At both the U.S. and Canadian CAI Annual Conferences this year, one of the most common questions I received was about artificial intelligence and its role in preparing meeting minutes.

With AI tools gaining popularity, many boards and managers are asking the same thing: can artificial intelligence replace a human minute taker?

The short answer is no. Not if accuracy, legal reliability, and professionalism matter.

AI Is Inconsistent

One of the core problems with AI-generated minutes is inconsistency. From one meeting to the next, AI often produces a completely different style, length, and tone.

In one meeting, the minutes may be overly detailed and conversational. In another, they may be so minimal that key context is lost. There is no continuity, which is essential for building trust and maintaining clarity in a condo or HOA setting.

Boards rely on predictable, professional records. When formatting and tone change meeting to meeting, it confuses owners, directors, and managers, and undermines confidence in the minutes as an official record.

AI Can Fabricate Information

This is not theoretical. We have seen it happen.

In one real meeting, AI generated a motion that never occurred. It inserted a full statement of approval, complete with a mover and seconder, even though no motion had been made and no decision taken.

This is not just an error. It is a fabrication.

When minutes record decisions that never happened, liability risk becomes real. If those minutes are later relied upon by a board, a resident, or in legal proceedings, the consequences can be serious.

Legal Credibility Comes Into Question

Another concern raised at conferences is what happens if AI-produced minutes are ever challenged in court.

If it becomes known that the official record was created by AI software that cannot testify, be cross-examined, or explain its reasoning, the credibility of those minutes is weakened.

Professional minute-taking services provide not just a document, but a human witness to the process. We apply judgment, follow standards, and can explain exactly how and why minutes were prepared the way they were.

You Still Need Human Judgment

Board meetings often involve nuance: sensitive topics, informal consensus, confidentiality, and offhand remarks that should not be recorded verbatim.

AI does not understand context. It does not know when discussion is off the record, when wording should be generalized to protect privacy, or how to frame a difficult issue diplomatically.

A professional minute taker makes these judgment calls every day. That judgment is what turns a transcript into a reliable governance record.

Final Thoughts

AI is a powerful technology, but in the context of board and condo meetings, it introduces risk, not reliability.

Minutes are not just about writing down what was said. They are about understanding what matters, documenting it clearly, and producing a neutral, professional record a community can trust.

If your association values credibility, consistency, and legal soundness, do not hand your minutes to a machine. Trust a profession.