EAs and AI - What is to come?
The role of the Executive Assistant has always been one of agility, foresight, and relentless dedication to keeping an executive’s professional life running smoothly. With the rise of technology and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), this crucial position is evolving in exciting ways.
Are we under threat?
We get asked this question in various forms at least once a week. What’s going to happen to the role of EAs?
Well, we see it differently.
We believe EAs are not just gatekeepers, time managers, and logistics wranglers; they are becoming strategic partners, thought partners, and curators. Leveraging AI will enhance EAs' efficiency, productivity, and overall effectiveness.
But is the role disappearing? We don’t think so, especially at a high level. While some tasks like long-form writing and calendaring may become more hands-off, EAs will continue to be the curators, gatekeepers, sounding boards, and central hubs of their executive’s life.
The essence of the EA role is here to stay, evolving with technology to become even more integral to executive success.
Calendaring and Time Management
Managing an executive's schedule is a core responsibility of an EA, involving more than just booking meetings. It requires a thoughtful approach to ensure time is allocated effectively to maximize productivity. Relationships, priorities, locations, context, and stakeholders all play crucial roles in this process.
While advanced calendaring and time management apps have revolutionized this aspect of the job, they are not the ultimate solution. We would never, under any circumstances, send a “schedule yourself” link to board members for their committee meetings or to investors we are seeking funding from. Etiquette and nuances in scheduling will always be “a thing”.
However, these scheduling apps have made it significantly easier to manage more casual internal meetings, coffee catch-ups, and favor conversations. They streamline the process for 1:1s and other informal interactions that can be fitted into the schedule more flexibly. These tools enhance efficiency while allowing EAs to focus on more demanding items that require a personal touch and professionalism that high-level interactions demand.
AI-Powered Calendaring Apps
x.ai: This app uses AI to schedule meetings automatically by understanding the user's preferences and constraints. It can coordinate with multiple parties, find suitable times, and send invites, reducing the back-and-forth emails.
Clockwise: By optimizing the calendar with intelligent time blocking, Clockwise ensures that executives have adequate focus time and meetings are scheduled efficiently. It dynamically adjusts schedules to accommodate changes and prevent conflicts.
Calendly: This tool simplifies the process of finding meeting times by allowing others to book directly into the calendar based on availability. It integrates seamlessly with other calendar systems and reduces scheduling friction.
Curating the Use of Calendaring Apps
For EAs, the key is to carefully curate and tailor these tools to meet the specific needs of their executive. It's about lightening the load without losing control over calendar and time management. Understanding the executive's priorities, peak productivity times, and preferences for meeting structure, durations, and breaks is essential. You will still need to curate their itineraries in a specific way and oversee the outcomes.
By leveraging technology, EAs can take some of the scheduling burdens off their plate, ensuring that the executive's schedule not only accommodates all necessary engagements but also optimizes their time for strategic thinking and personal well-being. This blend of human insight and tech-savvy ensures the executive's time is used most effectively.
Enhancing Productivity with AI Tools
Beyond calendaring, AI offers a plethora of tools designed to enhance various aspects of an EA's responsibilities, from research to content creation.
OpenAI: Tools like ChatGPT can assist EAs in conducting quick and comprehensive research, make lists, and pull together information. “Make me a list of the 10 top rated flower shops in New York to send a client a boutique.” Whether it's gathering data for reports, summarizing large documents, or staying updated with industry trends, AI can handle these tasks swiftly and (somewhat) accurately. Trust but verify - always!
Feedly: This AI-powered news aggregator helps EAs stay informed about relevant news and trends. It uses machine learning to curate content based on the executive's interests, the industry or company directly, ensuring that they are always well-prepared and in-the-know.
Content Creation and Communication
Canva AI: Canva’s AI tools simplify the creation of visually appealing presentations, social media posts, and marketing materials. EAs can produce professional-quality content with minimal effort, enhancing the executive's brand and communication. Curation is key here, but the tool is ready for even novice use.
Grammarly: This AI writing assistant helps ensure that all written communication is clear, concise, and error-free. It provides advanced grammar and style suggestions, making it an invaluable tool for drafting emails, reports, and other documents.
Task and Project Management
Coda.io: This versatile tool combines documents, spreadsheets, and powerful databases, allowing EAs to manage tasks and projects seamlessly. Coda.io's customizable templates, AI-enhanced features, and integrations with other apps make it an invaluable resource for creating dynamic, collaborative workflows that cater to the unique needs of each executive.
Asana: With AI-enhanced features, Asana helps EAs manage tasks and projects more effectively. It offers intelligent suggestions, automates repetitive tasks, and provides insights into project progress, enabling better coordination and execution.
Trello: Trello's AI-powered automation (Butler) allows EAs to create custom workflows, set up triggers, and automate repetitive actions, freeing up time for more strategic tasks.
The Future EA: A Strategic Partner
With AI integration, the role of the EA is transforming from that of an administrative support function to a strategic partnership and expert curator. Here’s how AI is reshaping the high-level responsibilities of EAs:
Better Time Managers: AI tools enable EAs to manage not just their executive's time but their own as well. By automating routine tasks, they can focus on more complex responsibilities that require human insight and creativity.
Enhanced Productivity: AI-driven insights and automation streamline workflows, reduce errors, and accelerate task completion. This allows EAs to handle a larger volume of work with greater efficiency, ultimately contributing to the executive's success.
Superior Researchers: AI tools like OpenAI and Feedly provide EAs with the ability to conduct in-depth research quickly and accurately. This ensures that executives have access to the most relevant and up-to-date information for decision-making.
Improved Writing and Communication: Tools like OpenAI, Grammarly and Canva AI enhance the quality of written and visual communications. This ensures that all output is polished and professional, reflecting well on the executive and their organization.
The integration of AI into the role of the Executive Assistant is not about replacing the human touch but enhancing it. By adopting these advanced tools, EAs can provide higher levels of support, becoming indispensable strategic partners to their executives. The future of the EA is one of increased influence, effectiveness, and opportunity, driven by the power of AI.