What Is The Job Of An EA In The AI Era?

Introduction:

In the age of AI, businesses are becoming faster, better, more efficient, and more profitable. Human error becomes less of a concern, and repetitive, mundane tasks are increasingly automated. However, with these advancements, many people worry about job security.
Experts predict that some jobs will become obsolete, but this doesn’t mean AI will replace all human workers. The focus shifts from “AI-proofing” jobs to adapting skills for the changing landscape. AI is likely to automate repetitive tasks, freeing humans to focus on creative and solution-oriented roles.

Is AI Going To Replace EAs?

First thing first, let us just address the elephant in the room. The answer is NO.
Today, most AI tools perform assistance roles. AI tools are used for automation and collaboration. For instance, management-based AI tools like Calendly, Superhuman, Asana, and Slack are used for collaboration and task scheduling. Moreover, tools like Siri, Google Assistant, or Alexa perform command-based jobs.
Simply put, AI tools work on inputs and people, so even for the executive assistant roles, give these inputs, and human intervention will always be involved. In fact, executive assistants are now using AI to improve productivity and efficiency.

The Role of AI in the Life of EAs

A few years ago, EA or executive assistants were recruited for high-level managers or professionals with correspondence tasks. It required skills, an eye for detail, multitasking, and time management skills. Now, EAs are using AI tools for all these tasks. They have task management tools for multitasking, blueprint AI tools for time management, and quality assurance tools for removing errors.

Now, employers recruit people based on their personalities rather than skills. In the era of AI, with solution-oriented thinking, better work ethics, and people skills, anyone can land a good opportunity. AI has offered a level playing field for everyone regardless of their skill set.

Does that mean anyone and everyone is eligible for a role regardless of their experience? Is it a warning sign or a compliment? Let us break it down.
Companies hire executive assistants to assist the managers and people handling multiple tasks simultaneously. These executives use task management tools like Asana, information gauging tools like Gemini, and scheduling tools like Google calendrer to make work seamless.

These tools assist the person and ensure everything runs smoothly, but they are not self-automated. The user must recognize the problem and task requirement and assign it to the right person. Moreover, these tools cannot maintain quality, so the user needs to have an eye for detail instead.
To make the most out of AI, the user has to write better prompts, learn to interact with AI, and customize the experience as required.

How Executive Assistants Can Make The Most Out Of AI?

Ai offers a golden opportunity for executive assistants to build an automated work pipeline. Most EA teams have a centralized database. This database contains all the details about the brand, customers, owners, and company management. The data is sorted using AI and LLM. Team members have database editing rights. They can add new information, remove outdated information, and update new information about LLM. So far, the most widely used and accepted LLMs used by EAs are ChatGPT and Copilot.

The database has guidelines about handling information, accessing information, data confirmation, data ethics, and more. Each member has to follow these guidelines and data structuring instructions for better usage.

How do Executive assistants use LLMs?

Here are some of the EAs who can utilize LLMs for their work:

• Project Management:

  Set task timelines, schedule work, track the progress of work, set task goals, and more.

• Vendor Research:

  Extract data about vendors, compare quotes, and improve informed decision-making based on the pros and cons of each vendor.

• Create Meeting Briefs:

  I set up agendas, summarized work, ran background checks for each attendant, updated and scheduled meeting dates, recorded and summarized key points, etc.

• Create Presentations:

  Create aesthetic slide decks, add visual aids, gather data based on requirements, and add relevant data using AI tools like ChatGPT.

• Content Idea Generation:

  Improve content generation, brainstorm better ideas for the brand, set the tone as per social media platforms, and enhance brand visibility by targeting the right audience.

• Supporting Interview Process:

  A questionnaire will be created to refine the interview process for each vacancy.

• Writing:

  Writing emails, brand copies, memos, and content based on the brand tone and style.