AI assistants for executives: a practical guide
An executive who deals with operational details isn't dealing with strategy. Simple math: if your day goes to emails, meeting prep, and managing reminders, when do you lead?
An AI assistant isn't a solution for everything. But it's a solution for one specific problem: too much time spent on things that could be delegated to a machine.
What an AI assistant actually does
Forget fantasies where AI runs the company for you. That's neither realistic nor desirable. Instead, think of an AI assistant as a hyper-efficient intern who never gets tired.
1. Email: sorting and drafts
Imagine every morning your inbox already has prep work done: - Urgent emails are at the top - Informational ones are separate - Standard questions have draft responses ready
Prompt for Claude or ChatGPT: "Read through these 15 emails. Separate: 1) urgent ones needing my personal response, 2) informational ones I should know but don't need response, 3) standard questions you could draft responses for. Provide draft responses for category 3 emails."
2. Meeting preparation
Before a meeting, you should know: who's there, what's the topic, what decisions we expect, what happened in the last meeting on this topic.
Prompt: "I have a meeting tomorrow with [client name] on [topic]. Create a brief memo: 1) main points from last meeting, 2) open questions, 3) my possible decisions tomorrow."
3. Daily and weekly summaries
Friday evening, instead of recalling yourself what happened this week:
Prompt: "Here are my calendar entries and emails from this week. Create a summary: 1) most important decisions made, 2) open questions, 3) next week's priorities."
How to start: 30-day plan
Week 1: Track your time
Write down what your time actually goes to. Don't say "meetings" - write "meeting prep 45 min, meeting 60 min, follow-ups 30 min."
Week 2: Identify recurring tasks
Which tasks do you do every day, every week, every month? Which of these follow a clear pattern?
Week 3: Test one task
Choose one recurring task. Try automating it with AI. For example: email summaries in the morning.
Week 4: Evaluate and expand
Did it save time? Was quality sufficient? If yes - add the next task. Learn more about using AI in assessment for ethical considerations around AI use.
Practical workflow
Here's one possible day with an AI assistant:
| Time | Activity | AI role |
|---|---|---|
| 07:30 | Email review | AI has already sorted and drafts ready |
| 08:00 | Day prep | AI has created memos for today's meetings |
| 12:00 | Quick summary | AI compiles key points from morning meetings |
| 17:00 | End of day | AI gathers open questions for tomorrow |
| Friday | Weekly summary | AI creates week overview |
What AI doesn't do
AI doesn't make decisions for you. It doesn't know your company's strategy, who your best clients are, what your values are. That's all in your head.
AI is a tool that does prep work. You make decisions.
Summary
An executive who uses an AI assistant wisely doesn't work less. They work differently. Less time on sorting, summarizing, preparing. More time for thinking, deciding, connecting.
Start with one task. See if it works. Then expand.