AI won't fix poor meeting culture

If you’re anything like most teams right now, your calendar looks less like a plan for the week and more like a losing game of Tetris. Endless recurring invites. No clear agendas. Back-to-back meetings being the default. Context switching every hour. And an ever-growing list of names on each call because nobody wants to be the one who misses out. Sound familiar?

It’s easy to think that AI tools like Microsoft Copilot will fix all this. That somehow, magically, the same culture that got us into this mess will get better because a smart assistant can summarise, schedule and “catch you up.” But here’s the uncomfortable truth: AI can’t solve for bad meeting culture. At best it’ll just make them more efficient.

And that’s not the same as better.

The real problem: we stopped asking why

I've never heard anyone asking or pining for more meetings. Most of us barely have five minutes to come up for air these days. As a new joiner to a new firm, this is not me just now (fortunately, and so far by intention) but I have worked in many teams where meetings evolve and multiply and before you know it, you're back-to-back all day, every day. But how does it come about?

From my experience, someone sets up a weekly check-in “just for now”, another person adds a daily stand-up to “keep everyone aligned”, and before you know it, you’re five layers deep in catch-ups about the next catch-up. The problem isn’t necessarily the number of meetings but it’s the lack of intention behind them.

We've forgotten to ask:

• Does this need to be a meeting at all?

• If it does, do I really need to be there?

• And if I am there, what do I need to know to contribute well?

Nobody including AI will ask these questions for you. For now, you still have to decide where your time goes. But once you’ve made those decisions, AI can help you make the meetings you keep far more meaningful.

Using AI to make the meetings you do have… actually useful

If you’ve decided a meeting is the right way forward, make it worth everyone’s time. Here are three Copilot prompts to help.

1. Creating a clear agenda

“Create a focused meeting agenda for [meeting title] based on recent emails, chat threads, and documents. Summarise the main discussion points, objectives, and decisions needed. Keep it to no more than three topics and suggest pre-reads if relevant.”

A well-defined agenda is more than an admin task, it’s an inclusive strategy that helps everyone succeed and get the most out of the meeting. It ensures everyone knows why they're there, what success looks like, and what they'll leave with. Providing meeting agendas in advance helps individuals prepare, manage anxiety, and participate more effectively.

2. Catching up on pre-reads

“Summarise the key points from the pre-read materials for [meeting name]. Highlight any recommendations, risks, or open questions I should be aware of before attending.”

No one likes spending the first fifteen minutes of a meeting waiting for everyone to “get up to speed.” Let Copilot do some of the legwork so you walk in prepared and ready to contribute, ask questions and not just observe.

3. Checking whether you should even attend

“For the meetings in my calendar this week, identify where I have a clear role (decision-maker, contributor, or observer). Flag any meetings where my role is unclear or optional so I can consider declining.”

This one’s my favourite. It puts you back in control. Because the truth is, being invited doesn’t always mean being needed. If you're not clear why you've been invited, the fear of missing out should apply only to the work you won't be doing by attending and not the promise of the unknown.

Meetings aren’t the enemy. Mindlessness is.

AI can summarise, schedule and support. But it can’t give you back the time you waste saying yes to things you didn’t need to attend in the first place. And you don't need to start afresh in a new firm to make this a reality, you just need to start asking the right questions and empowering your colleagues and team to do the same.

So before you reach for Copilot to “make meetings more efficient”, ask yourself:

• Does this actually need to be a meeting?

• If it does, do I need to be on it?

• And if I do, what do I need to know to make it count?

  
  

AI will make it easier to do meetings. Only you can decide if they’re worth doing.

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References

Author: Rob Anderton

Editorial: Rob Anderton / OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT 5 [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

Images: Google Gemini 2.5 Flash. (2025). [Large language model]. https://gemini.google.com/