How to Use an AI Pendant at Work, the Right Way

The short version: say one sentence before you start.

"Quick note: I'm using an AI assistant to take notes today. Any objections?"

That covers most meetings, in most states. It takes four seconds, and it turns the device you're wearing into something everyone in the room has agreed to.

This guide covers the rest: the habits that make an AI pendant easy to use at work, the states with stricter consent rules, and the rooms where audio capture should be off. Learn it once, and it runs on autopilot.

Five habits for using an AI pendant at work

1. Say it at the start

Keep it short and matter-of-fact. Pick the line that fits the room:

• Team meetings: "Quick note: I'm using an AI assistant to take notes today. Any objections?"
• Client calls: "Heads up, I'm recording this call for my notes. Is that okay with you?"
• One-on-ones: "Mind if I record this so I don't miss anything?"
• Interviews and negotiations: "Before we start, I'd like to record this so we have an accurate record. Do you agree?"

For interviews and negotiations, get the yes on the recording itself. If anyone objects, stop capturing audio and carry on. No explanation needed.

2. Match the mode to the moment

Not every conversation needs a word-for-word record. Knowing who owns which task is different from a verbatim transcript of a negotiation. Use Ambient Mode for everyday context when appropriate and with everyone informed. Use Recording Mode when you intentionally want to keep the audio, and make sure everyone agrees before you start.

3. Know when to turn audio capture off

Doctor's offices. Restrooms and locker rooms. Confidential HR and legal conversations. Any office, client site or venue with a no-recording policy. Turn audio capture off before you walk in, not halfway through.

4. On calls, follow the strictest state

When people on a call are in different states, the stricter state's law may apply. In Kearney v. Salomon Smith Barney (2006), the California Supreme Court applied California's all-party rule to calls recorded in Georgia, because the clients on the other end were in California. You rarely know where everyone is dialing in from, so announce at the start of every call.

5. Keep it to your conversations

Your pendant should work for your conversations, not the next table's. One-party consent covers conversations you're part of, and a device that listens through the day can also pick up people nearby in a café or an open office. When you're working heads-down in a busy shared space, turning audio capture off is the courteous default.

The 10-second checklist

1. Who's in the conversation, and where are they? Use the strictest state's rule.
2. Did you say the sentence? Say it at the start.
3. Is this a full recording? Get a clear yes, ideally on the recording.
4. Is this a no-recording room? Turn audio capture off.
5. Did anyone object? Switch off and carry on.

How ACTRA is built for this

ACTRA is a wearable AI agent. It keeps the thread of your conversations and acts on what you meant: the decisions, the to-dos, the follow-ups. It lives in your meetings, so it's built around the habits above.

• Two modes, clearly separate. When enabled, Ambient Mode senses your daily context, including where you are, the people you meet and your conversations. This information is processed in the cloud to help ACTRA get to know you over time. Raw audio is deleted from the cloud as soon as processing is complete; transcripts, summaries and memories remain. To start Recording Mode, double-press the device. These recordings are uploaded to the cloud and kept until you delete them in the ACTRA App.
• A light the room can see. ACTRA's status light changes color and state between Ambient Mode and Recording Mode, so the people around you can tell what it's doing.
• Ambient Mode off when you need it. Turn Ambient Mode off from the ACTRA App before a doctor's appointment, a confidential meeting, or anywhere recording isn't welcome.
• Follow-ups wait for your yes. After a meeting, ACTRA turns what was said into decisions and to-dos, and drafts the follow-ups. It won't send a message, share a summary or book anyone's time until you confirm. If it leaves you, it waits for you.
• Your data stays yours. For ACTRA devices sold in the United States, all device-data processing takes place in the United States, and the cloud servers supporting these devices are located there. Your transcripts and memories aren't used to train AI models. Delete your account, and those transcripts and memories are deleted with it.

You say the sentence. ACTRA makes it easy to stand behind.

Why one sentence does so much

U.S. recording law comes in two versions. Federal law (18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d)) and most states follow one-party consent: if you're part of the conversation, your consent is enough. About a dozen states follow all-party consent: everyone in a private conversation needs to agree, or in some states be clearly informed.

The gap is smaller than it sounds. In several all-party states, courts treat people as having agreed when they know they're being recorded and keep talking. So a clear heads-up at the start does most of the work. In one-party states, it's good practice, and it covers the colleague dialing in from somewhere stricter.

Consent rules by state

A quick reference for the states with stricter rules. Most other states follow one-party consent for conversations you're part of.

All-party consent

Split rules

Sources: state statutes and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Reporter's Recording Guide. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, so for a specific situation, check the current statute or talk to a lawyer licensed in your state.

What about "we don't keep the audio"?

Deleting raw audio quickly is good privacy practice, and it's how we built ACTRA. But some state laws cover hearing or intercepting a conversation, not only saving a recording, and courts haven't settled how they apply to real-time AI. Treat deletion as a privacy feature, not a permission slip. The one-sentence habit still applies.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use an AI pendant in work meetings?

Yes. AI pendants are legal to own and wear everywhere in the U.S. What matters is consent: tell people at the start, and in all-party consent states, make sure everyone in a private conversation agrees or is clearly informed.

Do I have to tell people I'm using an AI note-taker?

In about a dozen states, yes, for private conversations. Elsewhere it isn't always required, but it's the simplest way to stay covered, especially when people join from other states.

Which states require everyone's consent to record?

California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington generally require all parties to a private conversation to consent or be informed. Oregon requires it for in-person conversations, and Connecticut and Nevada for phone calls. In Michigan, courts have allowed people to record conversations they're part of, but recording other people's private conversations requires everyone's consent.

What's the best way to tell people?

One sentence at the start: "Quick note: I'm using an AI assistant to take notes today. Any objections?" For interviews and negotiations, get a clear yes captured at the start of the recording.

If my AI pendant doesn't keep the audio, do I still need to tell people?

That's the safe assumption. Some state laws cover hearing or intercepting a conversation, not just saving it, and courts haven't settled how they apply to real-time AI.

Can I use an AI pendant on calls with people in other states?

Yes, with notice. The stricter state's law may apply, so announce the recording at the start of every call.

---

Last reviewed October 2026. General information, not legal advice.

ACTRA Mag 4G is available for pre-order and ships in January 2027. See ACTRA Mag 4G →