How to take AI notes: record a lecture, get a summary and key terms
If you focus on writing notes, you stop listening. If you focus on listening, you forget. Recording plus AI mostly solves this. Here is how to turn a lecture into an AI note, and how to actually revise from it.
What an AI note is
An AI note is a note built from a recording: the audio is transcribed, and the AI produces a summary and a list of key terms from it. Instead of copying things down by hand, the machine keeps the full text and the AI tells you what mattered.
The important part is that the full text stays. A summary alone can't tell you exactly how the lecturer phrased something. With both, you can skim the summary and drop back into the transcript only where it matters.
The three steps
There are only three things to do.
- Start recording. Put the phone on the desk, facing the speaker. The closer the mic, the better the transcript.
- Stop when the lecture ends. You don't need to split long sessions.
- Create the summary and key terms once the transcript is ready. Each key term comes with a short meaning.
Getting a clean transcript
Recording quality becomes note quality. Three things make most of the difference.
- Place it on the desk, pointing at the speaker. Inside a bag or pocket, almost nothing is usable.
- Keep it away from air conditioning and projector fans. Constant low noise buries speech.
- Fix key terms afterwards in technical subjects. Proper nouns are the most error-prone part, and fixing them improves the summary.
Revising from the note
A note you never reopen is wasted. What moves exam results is recalling, not rereading.
Turn the summary into a quiz or flashcards and you get recall practice the same day. Spaced repetition then spreads the reviews out so things stick.
When something is unclear, ask about it using the note itself. The answer follows the lecture you actually attended rather than a generic textbook version.
FAQ
How long is the audio kept?
Until you delete the note. Deleting the note removes the stored audio too.
Can it handle long lectures?
Yes. Long audio is processed in parts, so it can take a few minutes.
What about multiple speakers?
Recordings with several speakers are supported; you can set this in the note.