Microsoft Teams is adding a new way for users to control AI during meetings, giving organizers and presenters the ability to switch meeting intelligence features on or off while a call is already in progress.
The update introduces a dedicated toggle in the Teams meeting toolbar for Microsoft Meeting AI. When enabled by an organization’s policy, this control lets eligible users manage AI-powered tools such as Copilot, the proactive Facilitator, and automatic Recap without leaving the meeting.
The change is designed to address concerns from users who felt that AI features, especially the Facilitator, could become intrusive. The Facilitator can listen during meetings and offer suggestions without being directly asked, which has raised questions around privacy, focus, and meeting control.
With the new toggle, participants will also see a visible status indicator showing whether AI is currently active. This makes it clearer when Microsoft Teams is using AI during a conversation, helping everyone in the meeting understand what is happening in real time.
Organizers and presenters will have several options. They can turn all meeting AI features on, switch everything off, or disable only Copilot and Recap while leaving the Facilitator active. When AI is turned off, Teams stops generating Copilot answers, Facilitator suggestions, and AI-created meeting notes.
However, anything already created before AI was disabled will remain available and will follow the organization’s usual retention and compliance policies. The setting applies separately to each new meeting, so users may need to check it again when starting another call.
There is one important privacy detail to keep in mind: AI and transcription are connected in Microsoft Teams. If meeting AI is turned on, transcription and Recap start automatically. The same works in reverse. If someone starts transcription, Teams also activates AI and Recap.
This means a meeting is only fully AI-free when both AI features and transcription are turned off. Simply disabling AI while leaving transcription active may not be enough for users who want a completely private discussion without automated meeting intelligence.
The new Teams AI control is listed on the Microsoft 365 Roadmap under ID 558286. It will not be available to all Microsoft Teams users by default. Access requires either a Teams Premium license or a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. Only meeting organizers and presenters will be able to use the toggle.
Microsoft originally planned to release the feature in June, but the rollout has been delayed. The first users are expected to receive the new control in mid-July, with wider global availability planned by the end of July 2026.
The feature will be supported across major Teams platforms, including Windows, Mac, web, Android, and iOS.
For businesses, schools, and organizations that regularly handle confidential discussions, this update could be a useful improvement. Before starting a sensitive meeting, organizers should check both the AI setting and transcription status to make sure the meeting is configured exactly as intended.
