When we face rapid shifts in technology or significant evolution in the corporate environment, there’s a lot of speculation that impacts knowledge workers and other administrative professionals behind the walls of corporate America. As artificial intelligence [AI] reshapes global workforces, the hype can give a misconception driven by perceived differences or misinformation. Can someone truly understand how an executive assistant [EA] operates if they have never performed in the role?
To look at it from another angle, we must delve into the data and the lived experience of millions of professionals. Knowledge workers and EAs are skilling up. They are evolving and positioning themselves for a state of readiness as AI agents begin to be deployed. They are learning about large language models [LLMs], neural networks, natural language processing, behavior tracking, data classifications and clusters, and how predictable patterns shape outcomes.
Continuous learning is essential in the corporate landscape, and it’s becoming even more critical as AI accelerates the pace of change and innovation across industries. There’s no single standard for intelligence, so everyone brings a unique approach to what we do, adding to the depth of our collective force. Now, let’s take this into the future of AI and agents. We are starting to hear more about pattern and rule matching. We take these patterns and build feedback loops with data insights, separating signal from noise. To do this, we make technology work for us.
Taking this a step further, we know how to shift our administrative processes to organize data, information, and procedures. This has a significant impact on our systems, because intelligence, artificial or human, works best in a well-defined and organized space.
While AI has been evolving for years, it is now making an impact in the corporate world due to the leap in large language models like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. If the knowledge workforce is phasing out because of artificial intelligence, then what becomes of the millions of professionals whose roles, like EAs and executives, depend on applying expertise, analysis, and judgment?
According to the 2024 Microsoft Work Trend Index:
- 75% of global knowledge workers are already using generative AI.
- The use of AI among knowledge workers has nearly doubled in the last six months.
- Companies are investing in AI training and skills development, and fostering cultures of continuous learning.
With any advances in innovation, there’s often a reactive phase, restructuring, headcount adjustments and budget realignments. On the ground, we are seeing rapid adoption by professionals who want to become more productive, creative, and adaptive. This factors into misconceptions.
To be mindful or of thought on anything we do, it’s important to explore what is shifting in your environment.
- The old way of working of churning through high volumes of email, constant back-and-forth collaboration and a perpetual state of urgency that is a common result of no time to focus on what matters most.
- Dynamic new ways of working are evolving. Value now comes from creativity, problem-solving, pattern recognition, data mining, workflow automation, and strategic thinking.
- AI is being used for repetitive tasks and is augmenting human intelligence, freeing up time to focus on priority work that requires uniquely human insight.
We can’t emphasize enough the importance of building a culture of continuous learning to support this shift. Embracing new technology and innovating for the future requires intentional talent development and EAs are well positioned to deliver in this space. When we evolve with technology, we deepen our human intelligence and position ourselves for readiness. EAs are a prime example. They consistently strive to be at the forefront of adapting to each new era of work. We have graduated from the paper-based age, to the digital era, and now into the AI-augmented world in an agile environment that reflects the future of work. In many ways, EAs are adaptive knowledge workers. So, the notion that any administrative profession behind the walls of corporate America is phasing out is likely a misconception held by those outside a space they don’t fully understand.
