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AI note takers are flooding Zoom calls as workers opt to skip meetings

washingtonpost.com

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Re: AI note takers are flooding Zoom calls as workers opt to skip meetings

#161

Post by weatherlite »

meroes wrote: post #65

The problem is these meetings are so low information density even an AI summary is not worth my time. And it’s not some elitist mindset. It’s like the entire reason there are these regular meetings is to make some mid level person feel better. They like giving directions vocally because that authority is harder to question than if they wrote up a memo and all the receivers can poke holes in it. I’m convinced most mee…

> It’s like the entire reason there are these regular meetings is to make some mid level person feel better.

Higher ups like meetings too, everyone likes feeling better about themselves by showing status. Perhaps A.I will be able to relieve us of that eventually ...

Re: AI note takers are flooding Zoom calls as workers opt to skip meetings

#162

Post by throw__away7391 »

jedberg wrote: post #95
meroes wrote: post #65

The problem is these meetings are so low information density even an AI summary is not worth my time. And it’s not some elitist mindset. It’s like the entire reason there are these regular meetings is to make some mid level person feel better. They like giving directions vocally because that authority is harder to question than if they wrote up a memo and all the receivers can poke holes in it. I’m convinced most mee…

> I’m convinced most meetings are to make up for poor writing skills. That's not entirely it. Some people just won't say something unless put in a setting where they are explicity asked for it. I've had meetings where I ask for a status, and someone says they are stuck on X, and they've been stuck on X for two days. And I'll ask why they didn't just ask for help. They weren't comfortable asking for help. They were on…

I have employed a massive hack for the past two decades--whenever asked to do any random task or assist someone, and in particular where the asker is just lazy trying to get someone else to do their job, eagerly and pleasantly agree, but ask the requestor to write up a sentence or two describing said request and email it to you. It's such a small request that no one can't argue it, but so many people (lazy ones especially) are astonishingly bad at this and 90% of the time that request will never come. The next time you see the person, take the initiative and remind them about the email you never received and ask if they could send it. You've now turned the tables on the asker, they may even start to avoid you.

Re: AI note takers are flooding Zoom calls as workers opt to skip meetings

#163

Post by jumilbiju »

Hamuko wrote: post #147
rekenaut wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trust me, the 80% meeting workday became prevalent loooooong before the 2020s.

Isn't this just called "being a Product Owner"? I've never seen those people do anything but sit in meetings.

[dead]

Re: AI note takers are flooding Zoom calls as workers opt to skip meetings

#164

Post by Propelloni »

pj_mukh wrote: post #138
jbc1 wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if the final nod of agreement happens in real time the actual decision making process for critical product features should involve planning, thinking, research, etc. There should be a strong paper trail such that everyone knows what the decision is going to be prior to the "everyone gets together and declares this is how things are going to be" step. If them missing some meetings means they're in the dark as to…

I realize introverts don't work that way, I know, I am one. But I've had some of the most brilliant ideas come through purely on a discussion nay sometimes an emotionally charged argument. Important decisions are almost never 2+2=4, if they were, they wouldn't be important and yes you wouldn't need a meeting (like I admitted, there's definitely a lot of unimportant meetings). But important decisions are almost always…

I'm an introvert, too. I have no troubles participating in, or leading, or even fighting in group activities. Does it exhaust me? Yes, it does. I literally feel physical pain if I have to stay in company for more than maybe an hour. But value is created through interaction, not some process, paper stacks, or a lone wolf hiding in the closet, so I learned a long time ago how to communicate effectively, give and take feedback, organize tight meetings, and facilitate decision making.

I'm actually a bit tired of introverts hiding behind their disposition. You can do something about it, and it's more than complaining.

EDIT: Sorry, that was more rantish than I wanted. But I'll leave it here anyway.

Re: AI note takers are flooding Zoom calls as workers opt to skip meetings

#165

Post by OtherShrezzing »

meroes wrote: post #65

The problem is these meetings are so low information density even an AI summary is not worth my time. And it’s not some elitist mindset. It’s like the entire reason there are these regular meetings is to make some mid level person feel better. They like giving directions vocally because that authority is harder to question than if they wrote up a memo and all the receivers can poke holes in it. I’m convinced most mee…

> They like giving directions vocally because that authority is harder to question than if they wrote up a memo

Authority is also much harder to deliver in an asynchronous format. If someone can just _not read_ the memo, it functionally has no power. The risk isn't that your memo might be questioned, it's that your memo might never be read.

Re: AI note takers are flooding Zoom calls as workers opt to skip meetings

#166

Post by mft_ »

PeterStuer wrote: post #160
meroes wrote: post #65

The problem is these meetings are so low information density even an AI summary is not worth my time. And it’s not some elitist mindset. It’s like the entire reason there are these regular meetings is to make some mid level person feel better. They like giving directions vocally because that authority is harder to question than if they wrote up a memo and all the receivers can poke holes in it. I’m convinced most mee…

They are "low information density" because that is not the point of the meeting. Meetings are first and foremost about relationship management. You do not get to management and certainly not climb the management hierarchy if you do not at least implicitly feel this. The actual meeting topic, while it can be relevant, is secondary. You establish and reinforce the pecking order, sense allegiance and subversion, or, fee…

I've led cross-functional teams in multiple organisations (albeit not in tech) and I'd argue it's a bit more complex than that. Regular team meetings can cover multiple needs, e.g.:

* Keeping everyone working on a complex project updated on progress

* Keeping everyone 'aligned' - (horrible corporate word but) essentially all working together effectively towards the same goals (be they short or long term)

* Providing a forum for catching and discussing issues as they arise

* A degree of project management - essentially, making sure that people are doing as they said they would

* Information sharing (note I prefer to cancel meetings if this is the only regular purpose)

* Some form of shared decision-making (depending on the model you have for this) and thus shared ownership

If a meeting 'owner' is sensitive to not wasting people's time and regularly shortens or cancels meetings, it can be done well, I believe.

Re: AI note takers are flooding Zoom calls as workers opt to skip meetings

#167

Post by booleandilemma »

At my last company my manager never knew how to end a meeting. After we finished the topic of discussion he would start to ramble and ask people about their day, tell bad jokes, it was horrible. You could tell the guy was just desperate for social interaction and his subordinates were the only social interaction he had.

Re: AI note takers are flooding Zoom calls as workers opt to skip meetings

#168

Post by jumilbiju »

woah wrote: post #76
pk-protect-ai wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's the thing, these meetings are B.S. Engineers need a task, time to think, and write about the solution and its cost. Period. Talking in a room full of people who love to hear their own voices and love to stroke their egos does not actually help engineers do their job. When engineers need to communicate, they communicate with their colleagues. There are tools for such communications that do not require talking a…

> Engineers need a task, time to think, and write about the solution and its cost. Period. Talking in a room full of people who love to hear their own voices and love to stroke their egos does not actually help engineers do their job. When engineers need to communicate, they communicate with their colleagues. Seems like when you say "engineers", you mean "people with my exact personality"

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Re: AI note takers are flooding Zoom calls as workers opt to skip meetings

#169

Post by esskay »

pj_mukh wrote: post #16
jawns wrote: post #4

I bet there are a bunch of people in upper management who hear about this phenomenon and think that employees are skipping meetings to slack off (appearing to do work but they're actually playing Mario Kart). In reality, it's more likely that they're being judged on their attendance of BS meetings, but if they attend the BS meetings, they won't be able to make the BS deadlines they're responsible for hitting. So they…

Having had been on both sides of this coin, I agree a lot of managers mis-manage meetings. But then there's those engineers who don't show up to meetings and then a month later come to you with a "I don't know how we're deciding on some of these critical product features" and I don't know how to tell them its because they skipped some meetings where they could've been part of that discussion.

> But then there's those engineers who don't show up to meetings and then a month later come to you with a

>"I don't know how we're deciding on some of these critical product features"

You write up meeting notes, tasks, etc right?

If you've got engineers who are unaware of functionality because of a verbal meeting being missed you've got deeper problems to address.

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