A Wall Street Journal report highlighted how AI transcription and note-taking apps have made covert recording of meetings, conversations and even dates increasingly common, prompting some professionals to push back. Venture capitalist Jeremy Levine has taken to renaming himself on Zoom to "Jeremy Levine I do not consent to transcribing or recording" as a way of signalling his objection, a move that captures growing unease about always-on recording becoming the default in everyday interactions rather than the exception.

The piece cites other examples of the trend's reach: investor Eric Bahn now assumes any meeting with a founder is being recorded, while one founder said she records most of her first dates using the Granola app, then feeds the transcript to Claude to review how "engaging or empathetic" she was and who dominated the conversation. Levine described the behaviour as "socially unacceptable" and said it risks killing spontaneous conversation, and others quoted note the practice raises legal concerns. The article closes by questioning the practical value of the trend, asking who actually reviews the vast volume of transcripts being generated once nearly every conversation is recorded.