Behind the Transcript: Coaching, AI, and the New Language of Meetings with Dr. Laura Hefer

Dr. Laura Hefer is a researcher, consultant, and speaker whose PhD from the University of Sydney Business School focuses on the organisational use of AI meeting assistants. Her work uniquely blends information systems, organisational psychology, and identity theory to explore how AI technologies are shaping workplace dynamics.Originally trained in coaching psychology, Dr. Hefer later became fascinated by how digital tools—especially those that record and summarise meetings—change the way people manage impressions and identities at work. Her PhD investigates not only the technical implementation of AI meeting assistants but also the social and psychological consequences for those who use or are affected by these tools.She has published papers in top-tier conferences (PACIS and ACIS), exploring the unacknowledged assumptions baked into AI meeting assistant designs and their effects on productivity, fairness, identity construction, and power.