AI note-taking app maker Granola is accused of violating privacy laws by developing software that can record conversations without all participants’ consent, according to a lawsuit filed July 30 in a California federal court.
It follows a similar ongoing case in the same district, filed last year, that involves another note-taking and transcription software vendor, Otter.ai.
AI note-taking apps have proliferated in recent years, with dedicated tools emerging from vendors including Fellow, Fireflies, Otter, and others, some of which claim to have tens of millions of users. These AI assistants record and transcribe meeting conversations, generating automated summaries and follow-up items. Similar note-taking functionality is also built into virtual meeting platforms such as Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom.
However, the use of these AI note-taking tools has raised privacy concerns over the ability of some to record and transcribe conversations without the consent of all participants.
The proposed class action ” that can be enabled by app users and admins: an automated chat message that alerts participants when transcription begins, and a watermark added to the user’s video feed. The company also involving Otter.ai. The class action filed last year alleges that Otter.ai records all users without their consent and uses their voices to train its speech recognition AI tools.
Reporting on the latest developments in the Otter.ai suit, MLex , Forrester VP and principal analyst, as it raises additional questions about the use of employees’ conversation data.
“Specifically, is the recorded data used for training models? Is the voice used for training other AI? How do I get ‘forgotten’ after my data and biometrics have been recorded? These concerns apply to AI specifically and must be added to the traditional privacy and confidentiality concerns organizations have for other type of recording apps and tools,” she said.
Before deploying AI note-taking apps, Iannopollo recommends that businesses take appropriate steps to vet the tools and “ensure that all contractual clauses are aligned to the business AI risk appetite and risk management best practices.”
“As these tools record, process, store, and share biometric data, organizations must ensure that they comply with all the relevant requirements,” Iannopollo said, adding that transparency and consent notices should be provided to all parties involved in the use of AI note-taking apps.
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