Interviews are common in journalism, sociology, education, nursing and graduate research, and transcribing them by hand takes hours. AI transcription tools can produce a draft transcript in minutes, but they mishear names, technical terms and accents — and research interviews come with consent and privacy rules. This guide shows a careful workflow and the tools that help.
Check your course's or research protocol's rules before recording and transcribing interviews. Always get consent before recording, follow your school's and your location's recording rules, and for research projects follow your ethics approval (IRB) on how recordings and transcripts may be stored and which tools you may use.
How to Transcribe Interviews with AI, Step by Step
1
Check the rules first
For class projects, check your instructor's guidance. For research, check your ethics approval or IRB protocol on recording, storage and approved transcription tools.
2
Get consent
Ask permission to record and explain how the recording and transcript will be used and stored.
3
Record clearly
Use a quiet room, keep the microphone close and test the recording first. For video calls, use the meeting tool's recording or an approved transcription app.
4
Generate a draft transcript
Upload or record with an AI transcription tool like Otter.ai, or Notion AI Meeting Notes on a plan that includes it.
5
Check it against the audio
Listen back and correct names, technical terms and anything the AI misheard. Never quote someone from an unchecked transcript.
6
Label and protect the data
Label speakers, remove or replace identifying details if your project requires it, and store files where your instructor or protocol allows.
7
Analyze and quote accurately
Use the transcript for your analysis, and double-check every quote against the recording before you publish or submit.
Recommended Interview Transcription Tools
Prices and features as of November 2026 — check the official site for current details
#1
Otter.ai
Best for: recording and transcribing interviews on your phone or video calls
Otter.ai records audio and transcribes it live, then produces summaries and searchable transcripts you can ask questions about. Its mobile app can record in-person lectures, and it can join Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls. The free Basic plan gives 300 minutes a month but caps each recording at 30 minutes. Otter Pro costs $16.99/month or $8.33/month billed annually, with 1,200 minutes a month and 90 minutes per conversation, and students with a .edu email get 20% off Pro ($79.99/year).
Why students use it:
Live transcription while you record
Mobile app for in-person lectures
AI summaries and chat about your transcripts
20% student discount on Pro
Downside: The free plan's 30-minute limit per conversation is shorter than most lectures, and transcripts can garble technical terms, names and accented speech — always review them.
#2
Notion AI
Best for: keeping transcripts and notes in one Notion workspace
Notion is a flexible workspace for notes, docs, databases and to-do lists, and Notion AI adds writing help, Q&A across your workspace and AI Meeting Notes that transcribe and summarize audio. Students and educators with an eligible school email get the Plus plan free, but on Free and Plus, Notion AI features — including Meeting Notes — are a limited trial. Full Notion AI and AI Meeting Notes require the Business plan ($20/member/month billed annually) or Enterprise.
Why students use it:
Notes, tasks and transcripts in one place
AI can answer questions across all your notes
Free Plus plan for students and educators
Desktop app captures both system audio and your mic
Downside: Full AI costs more than Otter Pro for one student, and recording an in-person lecture from your phone only captures what the phone's microphone picks up.
#3
Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM)
Best for: asking questions across several checked transcripts
Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook in July 2026. You upload your own sources — documents, readings, PDFs — and it answers questions using only those sources, with inline citations that jump to the exact passage. It can also turn your sources into quizzes, flashcards and audio overviews. The free plan allows up to 100 notebooks with 50 sources each, and higher Google AI plans raise those limits. Google is offering eligible US college students a free year of Google AI Pro if they redeem by December 31, 2026 (a payment method is required and the plan renews automatically).
Why students use it:
Answers stay grounded in the sources you upload
Citations link to the exact quote
Makes quizzes, flashcards and audio overviews from your readings
Generous free plan
Downside: It only knows what you upload, and Google itself notes it can make mistakes — it can't judge a source's context, bias or authorship the way a historian does.
#4
Grammarly
Best for: polishing the article or paper you write from your interviews
Grammarly (now part of the company Superhuman) checks grammar, spelling and tone as you type in Google Docs, Word, your browser and its apps. The free plan includes corrections, 100 AI prompts a month, Authorship — which records what you typed, pasted or generated so you can show your writing process — and a Citation Finder agent that can insert up to 5 APA, MLA or Chicago citations a day. Grammarly also offers AI agents such as Reader Reactions and AI Grader, though some agents require a paid plan. Pro costs $12/month billed annually and adds 2,000 AI prompts a month, full-sentence rewrites, a plagiarism checker and an AI detector.
Why students use it:
Works inline wherever you write
Free Authorship reports to show your writing process
Plagiarism checker and AI detector on Pro
Downside: It isn't built for researching or drafting from sources, the 50% student discount is only a limited-time offer, and monthly billing for Pro costs more than annual.
Frequently Asked Questions
Otter.ai is a popular choice for recording and transcribing interviews, and Notion AI Meeting Notes works if you already use Notion on a plan that includes it. Check transcripts against the audio either way.
It's usually a good first draft, but AI tools can garble names, technical terms and accented speech. Listen back and correct the transcript before you quote anyone.
Yes, ask first. Recording laws vary by location, and some require everyone's consent. Research projects usually have additional consent and data rules.
Possibly, but check your ethics approval or IRB protocol first. Some institutions only allow approved tools or require data to be stored in specific ways.
Otter's free Basic plan includes 300 minutes a month but caps each recording at 30 minutes. Students with a .edu email can get 20% off Otter Pro.