A PM told me this recently – “My lead will attend the review meeting with senior leadership. I’ll read the AI summary later.”
He is not wrong. Now, with AI meeting tools, he thought he could grasp everything without “wasting” an hour with management. If summaries are not clear, he thought he could even read the transcript (which he admittedly never read).
However, with this approach, some PMs are losing what we call “organisational judgement”.
An AI summary might tell you: “Leadership agreed to proceed.”
But if you were in the room, you may have observed: “Leadership agreed, but the CFO is not convinced.” Just knowing this extra piece of info could significantly change what you build and how you build.
Here are a few things one misses when relying only on AI summaries –
1. Power dynamics: Who really holds influence despite not speaking much.
2. Real priorities: What matters really to the management? (e.g. launch vs quick revenue vs long-term results)
3. What’s exciting: What topics brighten up the room and what topics are passed over as BAU
4. Support: Who is genuinely convinced, who has objections to certain decisions (about your product) but eventually gave up
5. Risk appetite: Do the leaders want speed or quality? What level of risk do they want to take?
6. Unspoken signals: What is not said but is very visible in the way people react, question, push back, or stay silent.
AI can summarise what is said, but it cannot summarise the room!
Summary:
Skip meetings where your presence doesn’t matter, and you have nothing to learn. But when you have to understand senior stakeholders, influence decisions, or build judgment about how your organisation actually works, do not rely purely on summaries. Be in the room.
What is your take / experience on this topic?
