Executive assistants already run on templates, checklists and good instincts. That makes them some of the best AI users I train. The work is full of drafting, summarising and organising, and the EA already knows exactly what good looks like.

I've been in marketing for 23 years and I've worked with brands like Twitter, Dropbox, IBM, monday.com and Greenpeace. Behind every busy leader I worked with was an assistant holding the week together, and those are the people I build these sessions for.

EA work AI speeds up

These are the tasks where assistants feel the difference in the first week.

• Inbox triage: sorting what needs your executive, what you can answer and what can wait, with draft replies ready.
• Meeting prep: one-page briefs on attendees and topics, pulled from your own files and the public web.
• Notes and actions: clean minutes with decisions, owners and dates.
• Travel plans: itineraries and comparisons laid out for a quick decision.
• Reports and decks: first drafts of updates your executive presents.

What the AI can see in a delegated inbox

This is the question I get most from assistants who work inside someone else's mailbox and diary. If your company uses Google Workspace, its Generative AI Privacy Hub, last updated October 6, 2026, answers it. Gemini accesses relevant Workspace content based on your prompt that you have permission to access, and it doesn't access content you don't have permission to access.

Read that carefully if you're an EA. It means the AI sees what you can see. If you have delegated access to your executive's inbox, a broad prompt can bring their messages into the answer. That's useful, and it's also a reason to be deliberate about what you ask and where you paste the result.

The same page says your content isn't human reviewed or used to train models outside your domain without permission, and that feedback you send on an answer may be retained for up to 18 months. So don't leave confidential details in a feedback note. It also confirms that NotebookLM is now called Gemini Notebook, which saves some confusion when you look for it.

Rules I'd agree with your executive

Before you lean on AI, agree a few lines with the person you support. It takes ten minutes and avoids most of the awkward moments.

1. Which accounts and folders AI can work on, and which are off limits.
2. Which emails AI can draft and which you always write yourself.
3. That nothing goes out in their name without your check.
4. That board, HR and legal material stays out of AI tools unless your company approves it.
5. How you'll mark AI-drafted notes, so nobody mistakes a draft for a decision.

What stays with the assistant

Reading the room. Knowing that a client who writes short emails is annoyed, not busy. Protecting your executive's time from the meeting that looks important but isn't. Handling the confidential and the personal with discretion. AI can't do any of that, and an assistant who uses AI well has more time for it.

How a session for EAs runs

I build each session around your real week, using the tools your company already provides, whether that's Gemini in Google Workspace, Copilot in Microsoft, ChatGPT or Claude. If your organisation is rolling out Copilot, my page on Microsoft Copilot training covers the team side, and the wider options for staff are in my guide to AI training for employees.

Sessions run over video and in English, for assistants in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and beyond. You leave with prompts and templates for your own inbox, diary and meetings. The full set of ways I work is on my work with me page.

Common mistakes

The first is sending AI drafts as they come. They're often a little too formal, a little too long and not quite in your executive's voice. Edit them. The second is pasting everything into a personal AI account because the company tool feels slower. That's how confidential material ends up outside your organisation's protections. The third is trusting AI on dates and names. It will confidently move a meeting to the wrong Tuesday. Check every time.

Building your own prompt library

The assistants who get the most from AI keep a small library of prompts that work for their executive. A meeting brief prompt that knows the format your boss likes. A reply prompt that matches their sign-off and level of formality. A travel prompt that remembers they hate early flights. Each one takes a few minutes to write and saves that time every single week. I help you build the first set in the session, then you keep adding to it.

My advice for executive assistants

Start with meeting notes and inbox triage, because they're daily and easy to check. Use the AI your company has approved, agree the rules with your executive, and keep a short library of your best prompts. Within a month you'll know where AI saves you an hour and where it simply makes more work, and you'll be the person the rest of the office comes to for help.

Frequently asked questions

Who trains executive assistants to use AI?

Lilach Bullock, a British AI trainer and consultant with 23 years in marketing, runs practical AI sessions for EAs and PAs over video and in English.

What can executive assistants use AI for?

Inbox triage, draft replies, meeting briefs, minutes and action lists, travel plans and first drafts of reports and decks.

Can Gemini see my executive's emails if I've got delegated access?

Google's Workspace Privacy Hub says Gemini accesses content you have permission to access, so delegated mail can appear in answers. Prompt carefully.

Is it safe for EAs to use AI with confidential material?

Only in tools your company has approved, and never for board, HR or legal material unless your organisation allows it.

Will AI replace executive assistants?

No. It takes the drafting and sorting. Judgement, discretion and relationships stay with the assistant.