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Where AI and Legality Collide

October 21, 2025

AI can be a good productivity tool for meeting and event planners, but there are some potential legal concerns to keep in mind.

AI can be a boon to the overworked, understaffed meeting or event professional by automating some of the more routine, time-consuming tasks. But before you rely on AI to take on meeting planning tasks, be aware that there are some legal concerns that must be considered, especially when it comes to contracts, privacy and intellectual property.

Industry attorney Joshua L. Grimes, Grimes Law Offices

AI is for first drafts, not final outputs. “AI can never substitute for human judgment and legal expertise,” warns industry attorney Joshua L. Grimes, Grimes Law Offices. Planners should always verify that what the AI puts out is correct — and that it’s permissible to use.
AI is not a safe deposit box. While some AI platforms contracted for corporate use may have sufficient privacy controls, most non-licensed versions use inputs to train on — meaning that the information you upload could be accessed by others outside of your organization. Always ensure that the privacy levels are sufficient and meeting your organization’s requirements before inputting any personal or proprietary information into an AI platform.
AI doesn’t always alert you to what’s publicly available to use. AI-generated content presents complex intellectual property issues, particularly regarding copyright and ownership. Make sure your contract clarifies whether content created using AI tools is owned by the planner, the client or shared with the vendor, and address licensing of any work product. Always check to ensure that AI-generated images and content don’t infringe on any copyrights — especially images with recognizable faces and content that is potentially protected by intellectual property law.
AI use should always be disclosed. Using AI for meeting transcription, attendee personalization and analytics involves handling sensitive data, which is often subject to privacy laws like GDPR, CCPA, or new state-level AI legislation. Planners should review AI vendors’ privacy policies to determine data use and retention, and whether information is used for model training or shared with third parties. Even if it’s not legally required, it’s a good idea to disclose AI use. This is especially true when using an AI-powered data capture platform, such as those now available to monitor and generate data on attendee sentiment during the show. Always get explicit consent from attendees before recording or transcribing meetings and ensure you have access controls that ensure that only authorized individuals can review AI-generated notes or data, protecting participant confidentiality and privilege.

In addition to these general precautions, planners who want to use AI to help draft their contract clauses need to be especially vigilant, said Grimes. Event contracts involving AI should clarify ownership of data inputs, outputs and any deliverables generated by AI systems. Terms must specify who owns rights to AI-generated content (planners or technology vendors) and outline responsibilities in managing data, including protection, indemnity and notification requirements for security breaches. Contracts should also address compliance with emerging state and federal AI regulations and define processes for adapting to ongoing legal developments.

“Remember that the AI platform may not be trained on the most up-to-date information,” Grimes advised. “Always review any AI output for accuracy, currency, privacy and intellectual property concerns.”