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

Apple is reportedly testing an AI tool called Live Notes that records, transcribes, and summarizes conversations between customers and Genius Bar employees at some Apple Stores, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The pilot program requires consent from both parties, and Apple says audio recordings are not saved and transcripts are not shared with managers. The experiment comes amid rising concerns about AI-based employee monitoring, following Meta's recent pause of a similar program.

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 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-07-19/why-apple-s-openai-lawsuit-doesn-t-mention-jony-ive-ai-recording-at-genius-bar-mrrv4mix?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc4NDQ2OTYyNiwiZXhwIjoxNzg1MDc0NDI2LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUSUZESzFSS1YyVFMwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJDNEVEQ0FFMUZBMDU0MEJFQTI0QTlGMjExQzFFOTA4MCJ9.IG2PBLMmU1QQByQ5dhBN Z6f0399C-thOsFlWDfStR4 . Think you know what Apple will do next? Play our Big Guessing Game /topic-3/166043/big-guessing-game-apple-edition-round-2 for a chance to win an Apple Watch /migrated-99802-smartwatches/143057/the-best-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 https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/1v19fhn/comment/oylpyxa/?utm source=share&utm medium=web3x&utm name=web3xcss&utm term=1&utm content=share button . Apple’s experiment arrives at a time when concerns around the use of AI for employee monitoring are rising. Last month, Meta paused /ai/165751/meta-pauses-employee-monitoring-program-following-internal-data-leak 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 /ai/165751/meta-pauses-employee-monitoring-program-following-internal-data-leak after internal data logs were leaked.