Modernized ways of working are here, and the opportunity to outperform expectations is rising. The AI tools like ChatGPT, Bard, and Claude are being integrated into daily work, and from this innovation, one crucial skill is emerging at the forefront—prompt engineering.
While many industries are figuring out how to weave AI into their infrastructure, EAs are uniquely positioned to lead this shift when the technology becomes available. Why? Because prompt engineering is not just about writing commands for AI—it’s about understanding context, structuring information effectively, and anticipating needs. And if there’s one profession that has mastered these skills long before AI entered the conversation, it’s EAs.
Imagine AI as an executive’s ultimate digital companion—capable of drafting emails, summarizing meetings, and even strategizing. Now, imagine an EA who knows exactly how to instruct AI to deliver optimal results. This is where the EA Prompt Engineer [EAPE] role comes into play—a new skillset that enhances efficiency and amplifies expertise.
At its core, prompt engineering is about articulating precise, structured, and strategic prompts to get the most effective responses from AI. EAs already articulate requests, anticipate outcomes, and distill complexity into clarity—all fundamental skills in prompt engineering. Consider these real-world applications:
Email Drafting & Refinement: An EA who knows how to craft a clear AI prompt can generate polished emails in seconds, saving hours of time.
Example: “Write a professional email in the tone of an executive, acknowledging a team’s success in completing Q1 goals and setting the stage for Q2 priorities.”
Calendar Optimization: EAs are already calendar engineers. With AI, they can enhance scheduling by automating follow-ups, summarizing schedule conflicts, and even processing meeting recaps in minutes.
Example: “Recap the leadership meeting and analyze the discussion to highlight any deep work and executive planning that is a key takeaway.”
Strategic Decision-Making: AI can assist in generating reports, analyzing data, and forecasting trends, but only if prompted effectively. A well-crafted prompt can mean the difference between insightful AI-generated recommendations and generic responses.
Example: “Summarize the key industry trends from these reports and provide a one-paragraph executive briefing on potential impacts.”
These examples show how AI doesn’t replace EAs—it empowers them. The key is learning how to communicate with AI as seamlessly as they communicate with executives.
how to get there
To fully harness AI, EAs can adopt a structured approach to prompting—one that aligns with executive priorities, business strategy, and workflow optimization. That’s where the EA Prompt Engineer [EAPE] roadmap comes in.
Digital Literacy & Fundamentals: understanding AI capabilities, limitations, and best practices and exploring key digital tools that integrate into EA workflows.
The Art of Effective Prompting: Learning the structure of a strong AI prompt [role, task, context, outcome] and experimenting with different prompt styles to refine AI responses.
AI & Executive Communication: Crafting AI-generated responses that align with executive voice and tone and using AI for data-driven decision-making and reporting.
Automating & Optimizing Workflows: Integrating AI into email, scheduling, and project management and leveraging AI for real-time meeting transcription and action items
Ethical AI & Strategic Implementation: Learning about data privacy, ethical AI use, and corporate AI policies.
Taking into consideration the guidance above and the advanced ChatGPT cheat sheet we have published, EAs will be well on their way to be a prompt engineer.
EAs who weave this roadmap into their learning plan won’t just keep pace with AI innovation—they’ll unlock a skill so powerful, it will transform the way they work forever.
What was once a task driven administrative position is now a broader scope that includes analytics, strategic approaches and solving complexity. Now is the time to wield curiosity, embrace AI, and unlock uncharted space.
