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Aipedia: Accountants
Accountants can use AI notetakers in client meetings if clients agree and the firm checks the summaries before they become the file record. The note may later be the main evidence of what advice was given.
Part of: AI in Accountants
In short
AI notetakers record, transcribe and summarise client meetings, and the PCRT AI guidance uses this as one of its scenarios. They raise three issues for accountants. Consent and confidentiality: recordings hold sensitive client data, and the PCRT guidance says entering client data into public tools is likely to breach confidentiality without consent. Accuracy: summaries can miss caveats or attribute statements to the wrong person. Evidence: in a later dispute the AI summary may be the firm's main record of the advice. PI insurers and defence lawyers rely on file notes, so a wrong one can weaken a defence.
Video call platforms and standalone apps can join a meeting, record it, produce a transcript and write a summary with action points. For accountants this is attractive in planning meetings, year-end reviews and tax discussions, where the partner wants to concentrate on the client rather than on writing. The summary is often filed straight to the client record and sometimes emailed to the client as a meeting note.
The PCRT bodies chose this as a worked scenario in their January 2026 guidance, which shows how common it has become.
Illustrative scenario: in a planning meeting the partner explains that a proposed restructure would work only if the client meets a condition, and says the firm will confirm in writing. The AI summary records "partner advised restructure is suitable" and drops the condition. The summary is filed and sent to the client, and the follow-up letter is never written. A year later the client says they were told the restructure was suitable without qualification, and the firm's own note supports them.
Other problems include recording without the client's agreement, a free tool that stores recordings overseas or uses them for training, and transcripts that capture off-the-record remarks about other clients.
There is also a quieter risk: once the summary exists, people stop writing their own notes. If the tool fails or the recording is lost, the firm may have no record at all of an important conversation.
File notes are central evidence in advice claims, and an inaccurate AI summary can make a defensible claim harder to defend. PI usually responds to the underlying negligence claim, subject to the terms, but a weak record can raise the settlement value. If a recording reveals a potential problem, the firm should consider whether it is a circumstance to notify; see circumstance notification. A leak of recordings is usually a cyber matter; see data breach cover within PI. On records more generally, see what to document about AI use.
Apex arranges PI and cyber insurance for accountants, and a broker can explain how meeting records affect claims handling. See the accountancy AI overview and whether PI covers AI mistakes.
Yes, in practice. The PCRT guidance says putting client data into public AI tools is likely to breach confidentiality without consent, and the CCAB draft asks for specific consent. Ask at the start of each meeting and record the answer.
Yes. File notes are often key evidence in a negligence dispute, and an AI summary filed as the record will usually be treated as the firm's note. That is why it should be checked and corrected before filing.
Correct it promptly in writing to the client, and keep both versions. If the error may have led the client to act on incomplete advice, consider whether it is a circumstance to notify to your PI insurer.
They carry more risk. Free tools may store recordings overseas or use them for training. The CCAB draft recommends enterprise-grade tools, and the PCRT guidance highlights overseas storage and third-party retention as confidentiality issues.
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Start a PI quote Request a callbackApex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information about how AI is used in the profession and how insurance may respond. It is not legal, regulatory or insurance advice on your circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.
