Can I use AI to take the minutes so I can actually participate in the meeting?

I'm the Executive Director and I also end up taking the minutes because we don't have anyone else. It means I can't really participate in discussions. I've heard AI can take minutes now. Can I just let it run and focus on my board?

This is one of the most common and most legitimate frustrations I hear, and you deserve a straight answer.

Here's what's actually possible right now. If you record your meeting, AI tools can produce a solid first draft from that recording: capturing motions, flagging decisions, roughing out the structure. That draft still needs a human with judgment to review it before it goes anywhere near your board. But "reviewing and editing a draft" is a very different job than "typing frantically while trying to run a meeting." It's faster, less stressful, and leaves your brain free during the meeting itself.

So yes, with the right setup, you can be more present in your meetings and still produce good minutes. "Let AI run and forget about it" isn't there yet.

The bigger issue, which you already know: an Executive Director taking minutes is a governance problem worth solving independently of the AI question. You have a conflict of interest, you can't fully participate, and the organization is one busy quarter away from minutes not getting done at all. If there's any way to get a board member, a volunteer, or even a part-time contractor to own this, that's the real fix.

The AI buys you time. The governance problem still needs a real fix.