Apple is quietly experimenting with a new artificial intelligence tool at select Genius Bars that could change the way customers and technicians interact during repair appointments. The feature, called Live Notes, uses AI to transcribe conversations between Apple store employees and customers in real time, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Once activated, the transcript is saved directly to the employee’s iPad and becomes part of the official record for that repair session.
Notably, the system is being designed with privacy in mind. Live Notes only turns on when both the customer and the employee agree to use it ahead of time, making it an opt-in experience rather than something that happens automatically. That means walk-in customers who are uncomfortable with having their conversations recorded can simply decline and proceed with their appointment as they normally would.
Apple says the motivation behind the feature is practical: freeing up technicians from the burden of scribbling down notes while also trying to hold a conversation. Anyone who has sat through a Genius Bar appointment knows that employees often split their attention between diagnosing a device and logging details about what went wrong. By letting AI handle the documentation side of things, workers could theoretically spend more energy focused on actually solving the problem at hand.
It remains unclear how many stores are currently participating in the test or when Live Notes might roll out more broadly if it proves successful. Apple frequently pilots new retail technologies behind closed doors before deciding whether to implement them across its global network of stores, so there is no guarantee this will become standard practice anytime soon.
For now, though, it offers an interesting glimpse into how Apple sees AI fitting into everyday interactions between humans rather than just powering features inside its devices. If nothing else, it suggests the company believes artificial intelligence has a role to play not just on your phone screen but across the counter from you too.