Got ChatGPT Plus? You can record and summarize meetings on a Mac now – here’s how

Looking for an automated way to record, analyze, and summarize meetings and other conversations? You can now do that with any paid ChatGPT subscription, as long as you use a Mac.

Also: Is ChatGPT Plus really worth $20 when the free version offers so many premium features?

On Wednesday, OpenAI announced that its new Record mode is now accessible to ChatGPT Plus subscribers. The recording capability, which kicked off in June, was initially restricted to the more expensive ChatGPT Pro, Enterprise, and Edu plans. But now, all paid subscribers can join in by using the ChatGPT Mac app.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, ZDNET’s parent company, filed an April 2025 lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

Record mode converts spoken audio into text

With Record mode, ChatGPT will record meetings, voice notes, and other types of conversations. The AI then converts the spoken audio into a text transcript. From there, you can tell ChatGPT to analyze or summarize the content, and ask specific questions about the topics discussed. The AI can even save the transcript to an email or computer code so you can work it into another project. The idea is to use AI to automate an often unwanted task that would otherwise need to be delegated to a human being.

Also: How to use ChatGPT: A beginner’s guide to the most popular AI chatbot

As OpenAI touts, you can “capture any meeting, brainstorm, or voice note. ChatGPT will transcribe it, pull out the key points, and turn it into follow-ups, plans, or even code.”

How to try ChatGPT’s Record mode

To try Record mode, launch the ChatGPT app on a Mac. When you’re ready, click the Record button at the bottom of the screen. The first time you do this, you’ll need to grant the AI the necessary permissions. As you conduct the meeting, ChatGPT will record the audio of each speaker. After you’re done, click Stop on the ChatGPT recording button. Next, click Send to send the audio to ChatGPT for transcription.

Also: How ChatGPT actually works (and why it’s been so game-changing)

In response, the AI displays a text summary of the meeting, with key points, action items, and suggested questions. Using the prompt, you can type or speak a question or request to dive into specific elements of the conversation.

To use Record mode with ChatGPT, you have to pay $20 a month, but that grants you other perks, including heavier use of Deep Research, Advanced Voice Mode, GPT-4o image generation, and other features. The main drawback is that Record mode is currently limited to the Mac app. But hopefully OpenAI will expand the capability to Windows before too long.

AI-based transcription alternatives

ChatGPT’s Record mode is an alternative to other AI-based transcription services, such as Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai. Which service you might choose depends on what you need and the price you’re willing to pay.

The free version of Otter.ai provides AI-based transcription and summarization but limits the number of transcription minutes per conversation and per month. For more minutes, you’d have to choose one of the paid plans, starting with Otter Pro at $16.99 per user per month billed monthly, or $8.33 per user per month billed annually.

Also: How I personalized my ChatGPT conversations – why it’s a game changer

Fireflies.ai also offers a free version but with limited AI transcription and summarization. For unlimited access, you’d have to shell out for a paid plan, such as the Pro version for $18 per seat per month billed monthly, or $10 per seat per month billed annually.

Of course, remember that AI by its nature is flawed and imperfect. 

That means ChatGPT’s Record mode can make mistakes. If you are looking for an AI to act as your meeting notes taker and summarizer, check out the different tools to see which one is the most reliable and accurate.

Want more stories about AI? Sign up for Innovation, our weekly newsletter.

READ MORE HERE