What is an ambient AI scribe?

"Ambient" distinguishes these tools from dictation software, where you narrate the note aloud, and from copy-typing, where you type during or after the session. Ambient scribes capture the natural conversation between clinician and client, then produce a structured note (SOAP, DAP, BIRP) in the format the clinician chooses.

For therapy specifically, ambient capture also enables treatment-plan continuity — the scribe can carry goals and interventions from one session's note into the next session's prompts.

Capture happens via a browser extension (telehealth), mobile app (in-person) or virtual audio device (Zoom / Google Meet). Audio is typically deleted after note generation.