09/19/2026
Most of us are used to inviting people into Teams meetings 🤗
What's becoming more common now is inviting software.
Transcription tools, note-taking assistants, AI meeting helpers... they're all designed to make meetings more productive, and in many cases they do a great job 👍
The problem is that they don't always leave when you expect them to.
Microsoft has announced a new feature that gives organizations more control over which bots can join Teams meetings.
It comes after concerns that some have continued appearing automatically, even in meetings where they weren't wanted 😬
Every time we connect a new app or AI tool to a business system, we're creating another participant in our digital workplace.
Sometimes that participant can read messages, join meetings, record conversations or access documents, depending on the permissions it's been given.
Most of the time that's exactly what we intended.
But occasionally, it isn't 😳
Microsoft's new approach is straightforward. Instead of allowing these bots to join automatically, they'll wait in the meeting lobby, just like a guest would.
Someone in the meeting then decides whether they're allowed in.
It puts you back in control 💪
I suspect this will become more common over the next few years.
Businesses are adopting AI tools at an incredible pace, but there's also growing awareness that convenience shouldn't come at the expense of privacy or security.
Not every meeting contains sensitive information, but some absolutely do.
And things like board discussions, financial reviews and HR conversations deserve a little more thought before another piece of software is allowed to listen in.
Stay aware of which tools have access to your information and make deliberate decisions about when those tools should be involved.
It's a healthy habit, whether you're talking about meeting assistants, browser extensions or any other software connected to your business.
The more technology we introduce into our working day, the more important it becomes to know exactly who... or what... is in the room.
👉 How many AI tools or meeting assistants do you think currently have permission to join meetings in your business? Would you know where to check?