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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →If an AI service will process an interview recording, tell participants before recording begins and obtain consent that specifically covers both the recording and AI transcription. Explain what will be captured, why, which service will process it, who can access the audio and transcript, and how the files will be stored, used, and deleted. The exact legal and ethics requirements depend on your location and the kind of interview, so treat this as a practical workflow—not a universal consent form.
What participants need to know before they agree
Consent is meaningful only when people can understand what they are agreeing to. Explain the recording and AI transcription as separate steps: recording creates the audio file; an AI service may then process that file to produce text. Do not imply that the service merely records the interview if it will also analyze or transcribe it.
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Before the session, be ready to explain:
- Purpose: Why you are conducting the interview and why you need a recording or transcript.
- What is captured: Audio, video, screen activity, or other information. Identify whether the recording includes only the participant or other people as well.
- AI processing: That an AI transcription service will process the recording, and the name of the service if one has been selected.
- Data path and access: Which organization is responsible for the material, whether audio is uploaded to a cloud service, and which people or organizations may access the audio and transcript.
- Handling: How long files will be kept, how they will be protected, whether they may be used for any purpose beyond the interview, and how participants can ask questions or withdraw.
- Choice: Whether someone can take part without being recorded or transcribed by AI, and what alternative is actually available.
Use plain language. “We use an AI service” is not enough if you already know the provider, where the audio goes, or who can access it. Conversely, do not claim a location, deletion schedule, security control, or no-training commitment unless you have verified it in the provider’s current documentation and your own workflow.
Plan the data flow before recruiting
Decide what is necessary
Establish whether recording is essential or optional. Define the interview purpose, what you will capture, how findings may be shared, who needs access to raw files and transcripts, and how long each file will be retained. Set a process for questions, objections, and withdrawal before the first session; consent is difficult to honor if nobody knows how to act on a request.
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If you collect personal data, use the privacy, data-protection, and ethics processes that apply to your organization and project. The UK Government Service Manual advises giving participants an understandable information sheet before the session and checking it with a data-protection expert or legal adviser. That is UK service guidance, not a rule that automatically governs every interview.
Check the transcription provider
Choose the service before finalizing your disclosure. Review its current terms and data-governance information, along with your organization’s configuration and contract where relevant. Check:
- Whether audio leaves the interviewer’s device and where it is processed or stored, if stated.
- Who can access the audio, transcript, and any backups, including subprocessors.
- Retention and deletion options, and whether deleting a transcript also deletes its source audio.
- Confidentiality and security commitments that apply to your specific account or arrangement.
- Whether audio or text may be used to train or improve models, and whether the answer changes with settings or plan.
- Supported languages and how you will review names, accents, dialects, and speaker labels.
Do not assume that a provider’s general marketing description answers every data-handling question. If a material detail is unknown, say so accurately, reconsider whether that workflow is appropriate, or choose an alternative you can explain clearly.
Get consent before the recording starts
- Provide information in advance. Share the information sheet or equivalent in language participants can understand, including the planned AI step and the relevant data-handling details.
- Explain the choices at the session. State what will be recorded, why, which service will transcribe it, who may access the output, and whether a non-recorded or non-AI alternative is available.
- Ask for explicit agreement. Obtain consent before pressing record. If recording is optional, offer a distinct yes/no recording choice rather than treating agreement to participate as agreement to be recorded.
- Keep evidence of the choice. Record what each participant agreed to and the scope of that permission. Depending on the applicable process, evidence may be written, by email, or verbal. UK service guidance describes these forms; the University of Oregon’s research guidance gives an example of a separate audio-recording choice.
- Confirm at the start. Remind participants when recording is active. For remote sessions, a written or email confirmation may be appropriate; UK guidance also describes recorded verbal consent when a participant has already received the consent form.
Consent to take part does not automatically answer whether a person agrees to audio recording or AI processing. Keep the choices and the record of consent aligned with what actually happens.
Sample disclosure for an interview using AI transcription
Adapt this wording to your real provider, data flow, retention plan, and applicable rules. Replace every bracket with a verified, specific answer; remove any option you do not offer.
We would like to audio-record this interview so that [specific purpose]. If you agree, [organization] will use [named service] to create a draft transcript. The recording will be [uploaded to or processed on: location or service, if known] and may be accessed by [people or organizations]. [State whether the service uses the recording or transcript to train or improve models, based on verified current terms.] We will review the transcript for accuracy, store the files securely for [retention period], and use or share them only as described in [information sheet]. You may [decline recording or choose the available alternative] without affecting [accurate description of any participation consequence]. You can ask questions or withdraw by contacting [contact and process]. Do you consent to the recording and the AI transcription described here?
This is a starting point, not a jurisdiction-specific legal form. If you cannot explain a material part of the data path, do not conceal the uncertainty behind broad language such as “securely processed.” Resolve it or describe the uncertainty plainly before seeking consent.
What to do if someone declines or withdraws
If a participant declines recording or changes their mind, pause and follow the plan you explained. Stop the recording, and continue only if the interview can proceed within the permissions given. If you have already collected material, handle it according to the applicable consent, ethics, and institutional rules.
Explain in advance how withdrawal works and what it can mean for material already collected. UK service guidance describes stopping participation or withdrawing consent and deletion of collected research data after withdrawal, but duties and limits vary by context. Do not promise that every copy will be deleted if a governing requirement prevents that, or if your process cannot deliver it.
Keep consent records linkable to the files they cover, restrict access to recordings and transcripts, and delete them when no longer needed under the retention plan you disclosed. Use or share the material only within the purpose and permissions you explained.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Review the AI transcript before using it
Treat automated text as a draft, not a verified record. A human reviewer should compare it with the audio, paying particular attention to names, numbers, dates, speaker labels, accents, dialects, language changes, and details that affect meaning. Correct errors before quoting, coding, publishing, or making decisions from the transcript.
The EU Agency for Asylum’s practical guide discusses accurate, complete word-by-word transcripts and recognition of naturally flowing speech, accents, and language variation in the context of asylum interviews. Its context-specific procedures should not be generalized to every interview, but the accuracy concerns are useful when planning human review. Cloud-service security also requires attention when audio is processed remotely.
Choose a transcription workflow participants can understand
No workflow is automatically the right choice for every interview. Compare options using the actual setup you intend to use; a “local” tool may behave differently depending on configuration, and cloud services have provider-specific terms.
- Manual transcription: Identify who will hear the recording, how they will protect it, and how long they will retain it. This may avoid sending audio to an AI service, but the audio still needs appropriate access controls and storage.
- Local or on-device AI: Verify whether audio truly stays on the device in your configuration, and whether the software sends any data elsewhere. Check accuracy for the languages and speech patterns involved.
- Cloud AI transcription: Explain the service and the transfer or processing that occurs. Review access, location, retention, deletion, secondary use, and subprocessors before representing the data flow to participants.
For any option, weigh participant choice, accuracy and human-review effort, confidentiality, retention controls, secondary use, and cost or turnaround time. These are evaluation criteria, not a claim that one category is more accurate or safer than another.
Consent rules depend on the interview context
There is no single consent script that makes every recorded interview lawful or ethically approved. The relevant sources address different settings: UK government user research, Canadian government public-opinion research, University of Oregon human-subjects research, US HHS-regulated research, and EU asylum interviews. Their guidance should be applied within its own scope.
For example, the Government of Canada’s standards call for notice during recruitment, explicit consent before the session, and disclosure of purpose and recipients. UK service guidance addresses informed consent, secure handling, and withdrawal in user research. Samuel and Wassenaar’s 2025 editorial recommends informing qualitative-research participants when AI transcription will process recordings and obtaining explicit consent. These are useful practices, but none should be presented as a universal legal determination.
Check the rules that govern your work, especially for regulated studies, interviews with children or people in vulnerable circumstances, sensitive data, journalism, employment interviews, or cross-border cloud processing. In those cases, consult the applicable local law, ethics review, privacy advice, or legal counsel before relying on a general-purpose script.
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