Daniel Automation

Posted on Apr 26

The AI Meeting Notes System: Never Take Notes Again

#ai #automation #meetings #productivity

Originally published on Buy Me a Coffee

I used to be that person. Laptop open, frantically typing while everyone else talked.

Now? I close my laptop. Make eye contact. Actually listen.

My AI assistant handles the notes. I get a complete transcript + summary + action items within 5 minutes of the meeting ending.

Here's the exact system.

The Tools

Otter.ai or Fireflies.ai — transcription
ChatGPT — summarization and action item extraction
Notion — central meeting notes database
Make — automation glue

Total setup time: 45 minutes

Time saved per week: 4+ hours

The Make Scenario

Here's the automation flow:

Trigger: New Otter recording ready
    ↓
Action 1: HTTP request to OpenAI API
    POST https://api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions
    Body: {
        "model": "gpt-4",
        "messages": [{
            "role": "user",
            "content": "Summarize this meeting transcript and extract action items..."
        }]
    }
    ↓
Action 2: Create Notion page
    Database: Meeting Notes
    Properties: {
        "Name": "Meeting Title",
        "Date": "Today",
        "Summary": "AI output",
        "Action Items": "Extracted tasks"
    }
    ↓
Action 3: Create action items as separate tasks
    Database: Tasks
    Linked to parent meeting

The ChatGPT Prompt

const prompt = `
Transform this meeting transcript into structured notes:

1. SUMMARY (2-3 sentences)
2. ACTION ITEMS (bullet list with owner and deadline)
3. KEY INSIGHTS
4. FOLLOW-UPS

Transcript:
${transcriptText}
`;

The Results

Before: 4 hours/week on note-taking

After: 30 minutes/week reviewing summaries

Net time saved: 3.5 hours/week

Privacy Considerations

⚠️ Important: Not every meeting should be recorded.

Ask first if:

External clients are present
Sensitive topics discussed
Anyone expresses discomfort

My rule: Internal team meetings = auto-record. External meetings = ask first.

Tools & Pricing

Otter.ai:

Free: 300 min/month
Pro: $10/month for 1,200 min

Fireflies.ai:

Free: 800 min
Pro: $10/month unlimited

My setup: Otter Pro + Make Basic ($9/month) + Notion Free = $19/month

Your Action Plan

Sign up for Otter.ai free trial
Connect your calendar
Set up the Make automation
Let it join your next 3 meetings
Compare AI notes vs. manual notes

Want the complete Make scenario blueprint and Notion templates? Become a member for instant access.

What's your biggest meeting frustration? Drop it in the comments.

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