I keep seeing posts from Executive Assistants (and those in related job titles, such as Management Assistants, Executive Secretaries, Personal Assistants or Chiefs of Staff) who are getting to grips with AI. They’ve attended training, learned how to prompt ChatGPT, experimented with Copilot, and realised AI can handle emails, meeting summaries, and event planning. That’s great. But are we really preparing EAs for the future, or just making them more efficient at tasks they’ve always done?

When I worked as a PA in the 1990s, people said the internet and email would make EAs redundant. Instead, it changed how we worked, making the best EAs more valuable than ever. The ones who thrived weren’t the ones learning how to send emails faster; they were the ones who understood how digital communication changed business. The same is true for AI today.

Wrong conversation

Right now, most EA AI training focuses on how to use the tools: prompting better, automating admin, improving efficiency. But executives aren’t discussing how to use AI; they’re discussing where it fits into business strategy. They’re looking at:

• Which business functions AI can optimise or replace
• Where AI investments will generate the highest return
• How AI will change decision-making and governance

These are not conversations about ChatGPT prompts. They’re about business transformation. But most training isn’t teaching EAs how to be part of those discussions. EAs and their trainers are having the wrong conversation.

Shifting the focus

If AI is reshaping business, then EAs must position themselves as business partners, not just AI-powered admins. That means shifting the focus from:

• “How can I use AI to complete tasks faster?” to “How can I help my executive make better AI-driven decisions?”
• “How do I automate my workload?” to “How do I advise on AI’s role in business transformation?”
• “What’s the best way to prompt ChatGPT?” to “What does my company’s AI adoption mean for executive leadership, risk, and competitive advantage?”

The real opportunity for EAs isn’t just to use AI; it’s to become the executive’s AI advisor. That requires:

• Business acumen – Understanding how AI fits into company strategy
• Financial fluency – Knowing where AI investments save money or drive revenue
• Strategic influence – Positioning AI as a leadership tool, not just an admin shortcut

These are skills AI can’t replace, but they require a mindset shift.

The Entrepreneurial EA

This is exactly why I developed The Entrepreneurial EA. It is based on Secretarial Entrepreneurship, the concept that I promoted as a keynote speaker and trainer at EA events throughout Europe around 2000. It’s as valid now as it was then. I don’t just want EAs to keep their jobs. I want them to become indispensable. That means learning to:

• Think like internal consultants, advising on AI’s impact
• Understand the executive mindset and speak the language of business
• Leverage AI for influence, not just efficiency

AI isn’t going anywhere. The question is: are you playing defence, learning just enough to keep up? Or are you playing offence, positioning yourself as an AI-literate business partner who understands its impact on executive decision-making? Join one of my workshops if you’re ready to start having the right conversations.