The Real Threat to Executive Assistants Isn’t AI—It’s How You’re Using It.

The Real Threat to Executive Assistants Isn’t AI—It’s How You’re Using It

The fear is real—and justified. Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the workplace at lightning speed, and Executive Assistants are not immune. But let’s be clear: AI isn’t here to take your job. What will put you at risk is approaching AI the wrong way—treating it as a gimmick, avoiding it altogether, or using it reactively instead of strategically.

Many EAs are dabbling with AI, trying out tools here and there, but missing the bigger picture: AI isn’t just another app. It’s a fundamental shift in how work gets done.

If you want to stay relevant—and valuable—you need to stop playing and start leading.

1. Stop Starting With Tools. Start With Tasks.

If your starting point is “Which AI tool should I use?”—you’re already on the wrong track.

Instead of asking “Which AI app should I be using?” start with a much better question:

What do I do repeatedly, manually, or mindlessly that AI could handle? Begin small and specific. Think about tasks like:

• Summarising meetings or documents

• Drafting emails, slide decks, or reports

• Categorising inboxes or extracting data

• Creating travel itineraries or pre-meeting briefing packs

These aren’t gimmicks—they’re real productivity gains. Imagine saving just 3 hours per week. That’s over 150 hours a year. It’s not just time saved—it’s time redirected.

2. Treat AI Like a Junior Analyst, Not a Magic Wand

Expecting AI to be flawless from the start is a trap. You wouldn’t trust a new team member to deliver final work unsupervised on day one—and AI is no different.

Think of it as a capable but inexperienced assistant:

• Give it clear, structured input

• Build its understanding over time

• Be ready to edit and refine the output

AI is great at producing a “first rough draft” fast. It’s your judgment and finesse that turns it into gold.

3. Design Before You Automate

The quickest way to waste time with AI? Automate a bad process.

Before you start building automations or workflows, step back and think:

• What outcome am I trying to achieve?

• What decisions still need a human touch?

• Where is my judgment absolutely necessary?

Without this clarity, you risk producing content, data, and actions at scale—with no strategic direction. Efficiency is not the same as effectiveness.

4. Velocity Is Not Strategy—Unless You Know Where You’re Going

AI gives you speed. But speed without purpose is just… chaos.

In our work with Executive Assistants, we often say:

"AI is the engine. Strategy is the compass."

You might be able to create five times more output with AI. But what do you want that output to achieve? Do your efforts align with your executive’s goals? The organisation’s strategy?

Velocity matters only when it’s paired with intentionality.

5. Stop Playing With Prompts—Start Architecting Outcomes

Here’s the trap: most people tinker endlessly with AI tools. They get stuck generating quirky content, clever summaries, or synthetic images.

It feels productive. It gives a dopamine hit. But it doesn’t change your trajectory.

Tools amplify what already exists. If your work lacks focus or value, AI will just accelerate the noise. That’s why the shift must be:

• From using tools → to building workflows

• From automating random tasks → to aligning output with goals

• From isolated play → to embedded, repeatable impact

The tools are just tactics. Your thinking—that’s the strategy.

6. Use the Freed-Up Time Wisely—Or Risk Becoming Replaceable

Let’s be clear: saving time is not the goal. Strategically reinvesting that time is.

Once AI starts taking the admin off your plate, you’ll be judged on what you do with the space it creates. If you don’t evolve, you’ll simply be seen as someone who’s “less busy.”

To become truly indispensable, focus your personal development on high-value, strategic growth.

Use that extra time wisely:

✅ Build Business Acumen

• Understand how your organisation makes money and delivers value

• Learn to interpret financial reports and budgeting documents

• Support project planning, risk management, and outcome-focused initiatives

✅ Strengthen Leadership Skills

• Influence upwards and across departments

• Manage change and lead by example

• Model ethical decision-making and integrity under pressure

✅ Sharpen Problem-Solving Capabilities

• Apply critical thinking to complex scenarios

• Identify root causes, not just symptoms

• Improve processes using quality management techniques

✅ Master Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

• Read the room—and read yourself

• Build trust, resilience, and empathy with those around you

• Handle challenging conversations with poise and perspective

✅ Embrace Strategic Support

Being strategic also means aligning your work directly to executive and business priorities. This includes:

• Supporting the execution of corporate strategy

• Understanding the role of governance and compliance

• Driving stakeholder engagement

• Becoming a central figure in programme and project governance

• Creating data-driven reports and dashboards that influence decisions

This is what it means to step up. You’re no longer just responding—you’re shaping, guiding, and anticipating.

Your Calendar Reflects Your Leadership

AI doesn’t change who you are. It amplifies it.

If your calendar is full of reactive, low-leverage admin, AI will make you even more efficient at doing the wrong things faster. But if your calendar includes time for thinking, planning, designing and advising—AI will multiply your impact.

The question isn’t: “Will AI replace me?”

The question is: Will you lead the change—or let it lead you out?

The Executive Assistant of the future isn’t just faster. They’re smarter, sharper, and more strategic than ever before.

The only thing standing in your way… is you.

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About the Author: Richard Arnott, BA, FInatAM, FIToL, is a Director of BMTG (UK) Ltd, and the author and lead presenter of the groundbreaking, globally recognised Advanced Certificate for the Executive Assistant: ACEA® program. Richard also sits on the editorial board of Lucy Brazier OBE Executive Support Magazine.

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