When ChatGPT burst onto the scene in late 2022, it quickly became clear that generative AI wasn’t just a toy for tech enthusiasts—it was a tool that could transform the way we work. For Executive Assistants, who are already masters of juggling tasks, anticipating needs, and streamlining processes, generative AI offers something powerful: a second set of hands, available 24/7, that never gets tired of proofreading, drafting, brainstorming, or organising.
But let’s be clear: AI isn’t here to replace the skills of great EAs. The ability to read the room, sense when your executive is off their game, or tactfully word an email that balances diplomacy with urgency—those are very human skills. AI can’t replicate them. What AI can do is act as a digital co-pilot, freeing up time, enhancing quality, and giving you space to focus on the parts of your role that matter most.
In this article, I’ll walk you through what generative AI is (without the jargon), where it’s genuinely useful in the EA role, and—most importantly—how you can try it out for yourself.
What Generative AI Actually Is (And Isn’t)
At its simplest, generative AI is software that can create new content—whether that’s text, images, slides, or even code—based on prompts you give it. ChatGPT is the most well-known example, but there are dozens of others: Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, Jasper, Claude, MidJourney, and more.
The important thing to understand is that AI doesn’t “think” like a human. It predicts patterns in language (or visuals) based on what it has been trained on. That means it can generate text that feels polished and professional in seconds—but it doesn’t “know” whether that text is correct. This is why human judgment is critical. Think of AI as your enthusiastic but inexperienced intern: quick to produce drafts, but always needing a final review before anything goes out.
Why EAs Should Pay Attention
Some roles see AI as a threat. For EAs, it’s the opposite: this is a chance to increase your impact. Because much of your work involves research, writing, organisation, and planning, generative AI is perfectly suited to lighten the load. It won’t make the coffee run for you (yet), but it can:
Draft first versions of documents, emails, and presentations
Help you brainstorm creative solutions
Summarise information into usable formats
Automate repetitive writing tasks
Act as a sounding board when you need to think through scenarios
The assistants who start experimenting now will not only save themselves time—they’ll also position themselves as the forward-thinking professionals who can help their executives, and their companies, adopt AI responsibly.
Getting Started: Prompts are Everything
The key to using AI effectively lies in the prompt—the instructions you give it. A vague prompt (“Write an email”) will give you vague results. A specific prompt (“Write a professional but friendly email to a supplier to confirm a catering order for 45 people on 12th September at our London office, and request dietary requirements by 5th September”) will get you something you can actually use.
Here’s a framework for prompting that works well:
Role + Task + Context + Style + Output
Role: “Act as a professional Executive Assistant…”
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