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

AI can help you significantly. It cannot replace you entirely. Not yet. And the bigger problem here isn't the technology.

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.

For more on bringing AI into your minutes process the right way: Tech Guardrails for Boards

And if you're wondering whose job minutes actually are in your organization: Board Minutes Are Everyone's Responsibility — And Nobody Knows It