Can we make work meetings more bearable?

Business psychologist Jess Barker says it is easy to understand why so many of us don't like work meetings. "The data suggests, as does our experience, that most meetings are time consuming and ineffectual." She is also "not convinced that the general level of frustration will disappear altogether" thanks to AI. "I think we may find that we continue to be frustrated with meetings, but for different reasons - such as, annoyance with person A who never shows up to the Monday morning meeting, but instead requests that the AI tool attend on their behalf. "Or frustration with the person who turns up late to every meeting, and uses the AI tool to update on what they've missed so far. I can see how this could result in increased resentment and mistrust between colleagues." Yet Microsoft's Ms Teevan is convinced that AI will help to improve meetings. "It can help people feel less overwhelmed, it can help them get started and check things off their list.