Apple tests AI tool to record Genius Bar sessions, sparking employee concerns over monitoring

Apple Reportedly Tests AI Tool to Record, Transcribe Genius Bar Interactions

Apple is reportedly testing an AI tool to record, transcribe, and summarize conversations between customers and its Genius Bar employees. Genius Bar is a technical support service available at Apple Stores, where customers can speak to an Apple expert and get repair or troubleshooting support for their devices. At some stores, these interactions are now being recorded using an AI tool called Live Notes, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Think you know what Apple will do next? Play our Big Guessing Game for a chance to win an Apple Watch! Live Notes is reportedly a pilot program intended to make life easier for Genius Bar employees. Instead of taking notes while speaking to customers, employees can now use Live Notes to record the conversation and then transcribe or summarize it. The transcription is then saved to the employee's iPad and can be used as a reference during the repair or support process. Before saving, employees can make desired changes to the transcription and summary. The program requires the consent of both the employee and the customer being recorded. Some employees, however, were concerned their recordings could be used to evaluate performance. Apple says audio recordings will not be saved and transcripts will not be shared with managers, Gurman adds. Some customers appear to have already experienced Live Notes. "I took part, had to consent. It only noted parts of the conversation that were relevant. Pretty high performance voice-to-text extrapolation," a Reddit user says. Apple's experiment arrives at a time when concerns around the use of AI for employee monitoring are rising. Last month, Meta paused a program that logs employees' mouse and keyboard movements for AI training purposes. The program was launched in April and had to be rolled back after internal data logs were leaked.

Apple testing 'Live Notes' AI system to record Genius Bar sessions: report

Apple is reportedly piloting a new "Live Notes" system at some of its retail locations. This system uses AI to record and transcribe Genius Bar sessions with customers, according to a new report. In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that the Live Notes system lets Apple Store employees "record sessions with an artificial intelligence tool that transcribes and summarizes their conversations with customers." That transcript is then saved to Apple's internal Genius Bar system. The goal, according to Bloomberg, is to let employees focus on customer service rather than taking notes. Live Notes reportedly requires both the employee and customer to opt in before a Genius Bar session is recorded. Still, Apple retail employees are said to be concerned about how this Live Notes system could eventually be used: The test has nevertheless sparked concern among some Apple retail employees, who worry that recordings could eventually be used to coach workers or factor into performance reviews. But the company has indicated that the recordings themselves won't be saved and managers don't receive the transcripts. Employees also can edit both the transcript and summary before saving them to Apple's internal Genius Bar system. Moreover, it's meant to be an opt-in program. As of right now, Live Notes is not mandatory. Bloomberg says it's "unclear" whether Apple plans to expand the system to more stores, make it mandatory, or change how transcripts are used.

Apple is reportedly testing AI-powered tools for Genius Bar appointments

The system includes privacy safeguards where recordings aren't saved, managers don't receive transcripts, and employees can edit summaries before saving. According to Mark Gurman's latest Power On newsletter for Bloomberg, Apple is testing a new AI system for Genius Bar appointments. But don't worry, it's not any of the things you would immediately worry about when reading those words. Apple reportedly won't be using AI to prioritize appointments, or decide which repairs are under warranty, or even decide what repairs to do. Instead, Apple's using AI to do exactly what it's good for: transcription and text summary. The AI system Apple is reportedly testing for Genius Bar appointments is called "Live Notes," which records your conversation with the Genius Bar employee, transcribes it, and then summarizes it. That will then get added to the employee's iPad when they perform your repair. The idea is to reduce the workload of employees taking notes during interactions with customers, so they can focus on you and not on making sure they write down everything necessary for the repair technician. Still, Gurman says, some employees are worried this is a slippery slope and Apple could start to use the AI to coach employees or factor it into performance reviews. For its part, Apple has reportedly assured employees that the recordings won't be saved, managers won't receive transcripts, and employees can edit both the transcript and summary before it is saved -- a necessity to ensure the AI's accuracy. It's also meant to be an opt-in program, where both the Genius Bar customer and employee have to agree to use the tool. Of course, we've seen before how businesses will start with an AI system that is innocuous and optional and evolves into something invasive and mandatory. The system is said to be in early test right now, and it is not clear if or when Apple will expand its usage or what the policies surrounding it will be when it does.

AppleInsider.com

Apple is testing a new Genius Bar tool called Live Notes that transcribes and summarizes conversations with a customer, but employees are worried about how the tool might be used against them. Artificial intelligence has become a buzzword throughout the tech industry from both the consumer and employee perspective. Employees of any kind at many companies have had to contend with mandatory AI tool use forced on them by the employer. So far, reports haven't indicated Apple taking such a hardline route to AI tool use. However, the "Power On" newsletter from Bloomberg shares that Apple is testing a new tool called Live Notes for use in the Genius Bar. The tool uses AI to listen to a conversation between a Genius Bar employee and a customer, with permission from both sides of course. It then transcribes and summarizes the interaction so the employee can focus on interacting with the customer and not taking notes. There appears to be some concern from employees that these transcripts could be used by management to evaluate the employee. However, the rumor clarifies that Apple has a policy in place during testing that managers don't receive transcripts and they can be edited by the employee. It isn't clear if this policy will be in place after testing is complete. There is no mandatory use requirement in place. It seems that the tool is being introduced purely as a time-saving option that the employee and customer must agree to before it is used. Previous rumors suggested that Apple is testing multiple versions of AI assistants for internal use. One, called Enchante, is for employees to proofread work, brainstorm, and answer general knowledge inquiries. The other is Enterprise Assistant, which is built with a centralized knowledge hub for employees. The Live Notes tool could be a variation of the Enterprise Assistant model. Both Enchente and Enterprise Assistant are built with Apple Foundation models. The Live Notes feature is also likely based on Apple's AI technologies, though the rumor doesn't specify. There is no information about a rollout timeline or plans for implementation or mandates around Live Notes. It is likely to remain an optional tool for employees even when it is fully implemented.

Apple Live Notes: AI Feature Automatically Records Genius Bar Customer Conversations

Apple is testing a new AI feature, Live Notes, at select stores to record and transcribe Genius Bar support sessions, according to a 9to5Mac report citing Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The feature is designed to reduce manual , allowing Apple Store employees to focus on helping customers during appointments. Live Notes automatically transcribes conversations, generates a summary, and saves the record to Apple's internal Genius Bar system after the session. According to the report, the feature is optional. Customers and employees must provide consent to record the conversation. The tech giant has reportedly told its employees that voice recordings will not be stored, managers will not have access to the transcripts, and employees can edit both the transcript and summary. Despite this, certain employees have voiced their concerns regarding the transcripts potentially being used in their evaluations. is currently under a trial run in only a few select Apple stores. The tech giant has not confirmed the expansion of this service or mandated it.

Apple tests "Live Notes": this is how the system works so they can serve us more quickly in its stores

AI records Genius Bar visits and adds transcripts to repair files Apple may be testing a new Live Notes system in some of its stores. So says Mark Gurman, who describes the AI tool as a system that transcribes and summarizes the conversations between Genius Bar specialists and customers who bring in a device. The goal is for specialists to be able to devote their full attention to the customer while the AI records the important details and enters them into the relevant case file. An automatic transcript at the Genius Bar Live Notes runs from the employee's iPad. With both parties' consent, it listens to the conversation, generates a transcript, and adds it to the repair history. Clearly, an interesting evolution of the voice note transcription we saw in iOS 18. At the end of the appointment, the record is ready for the repair to move forward with all the necessary information. This way, the specialist can focus on the customer's questions, on checking the device, and on explaining the next steps much more efficiently. By bringing together the same system that lets us record and transcribe calls on the iPhone and the capabilities of Apple Intelligence, Live Notes has the potential to greatly make our Apple Store visits much smoother. That said, if the system is actually rolled out, since for now it's a limited test to test how well it works. Meanwhile, it's clear that, while respecting our privacy, since the feature is only activated when the employee and the customer agree to use it, Apple continues to look for ways to make Apple Store visits even better.