A grounded look at what AI is actually doing for me across real teams and real challenges, the bits that genuinely help, and how to bring it into your work without losing the human side.
AI can sound a lot more complicated than it actually is. The simplest way I would describe it is: imagine a very well-read assistant who has absorbed millions of emails, documents, books and conversations and can now help you write, plan and think things through. That is essentially what it is.
You can type in what you need, for example "help me write a proposal for a new client" or "summarise this report and pull out the key points," and within seconds it will give you a solid first draft. You read it, tweak it to sound like you, and use it. The whole thing takes two minutes instead of twenty. You can also personalise your AI platform by uploading information about yourself, your business and how you write, so it can adapt its responses accordingly.
The most commonly heard tools are ChatGPT, Claude and Google Gemini, all of which are great for the everyday tasks covered in this guide. Each has free accounts you can sign up for today, which is a great place to start. I have touched on the more advanced options, including connecting your inbox and calendar, a little further down.
One thing I have found extremely valuable is not only the time saved on individual tasks, be it drafting communications, planning events, managing time or preparing for meetings, but having something to think alongside. Being able to bounce ideas off it, sense-check decisions and approach challenges more strategically has been a real shift, and one I think makes the biggest difference for anyone working in a busy business.
In practical terms, here is where it helps.
Microsoft 365 users can connect Outlook to Claude Pro, and Google Workspace users have Gemini built directly into Gmail. Either way, AI can give you a clear summary of what needs a response, what is urgent and what can wait, a much calmer way to see where you stand with your inbox.
Ask it to help find time across multiple calendars, draft scheduling messages, prepare for a meeting by pulling together the relevant context, or sense-check how realistic your week looks. It is a quiet way to bring more intention to how time gets used.
Drafts of emails, proposals, internal updates, presentations, announcements. Give it the context, the audience and the tone you want, and it will give you a solid first version to work from. The hardest part is usually starting, and this removes that.
One of the things I find most valuable is using AI as a thinking partner. Describe a situation you are not sure how to handle and ask it to help you think through your options. It is like having a calm, experienced colleague available at any hour who will work through it with you without any judgement.
Long reports, transcripts, articles, threads. AI can read them in seconds and pull out the key points. It can also help you research a topic you are unfamiliar with, giving you a starting point to interrogate rather than reading from scratch.
AI is also useful for thinking about your own development. Use it to work through your goals, prepare for a difficult conversation, or sense-check a decision you have been sitting on. It is a surprisingly good space to think clearly.
Ask AI to help you structure a presentation, suggest slide titles and draft the key points for each one. With the Claude plug-in for PowerPoint, you can go further and have AI work directly inside your deck, helping you build and refine it without leaving the application.
Working with data has become much easier with AI. The Claude plug-in for Excel can help you write formulas, analyse datasets, build models and explain what your spreadsheet is doing, all from within the application itself.
AI can help you think beyond words. From generating images for internal communications to suggesting visual layouts, tools like Claude and Canva's AI features can help you produce work that looks polished and considered.
Tools such as Cowork and AI agents can carry out tasks on your behalf, from managing files to automating workflows. These take a little more setup but can free up significant time once running.
This is just as important as knowing what it can do. AI is incredibly capable, but it has real limits, and being clear about them helps you use it well.
AI doesn't know your team, your culture, or the unspoken dynamics in a meeting. It can give you a draft, but you decide what is right for the moment.
AI sometimes gives answers that sound right but aren't. Always sense-check anything factual, especially names, numbers, dates and references. Treat it as a clever assistant, not a source of truth.
Knowing when to push back, when to soften a message, when to escalate something, when not to. These are human calls. AI can help you think through them, but the call is yours.
Be thoughtful about what you put in. Sensitive information, confidential data, personal details about colleagues. Check what your business permits and use a business account where possible.
The biggest difference between people who find AI useful and people who don't is usually how they ask. Here are four things that consistently help.
Don't just say "write an email." Say "write an email to our investor, an established VC partner I have been working with for two years, letting them know we won't be able to make next week's update call and proposing two alternative times." The more context you give, the more useful the response.
"Warm and friendly", "professional but direct", "short, no more than three sentences". Small instructions like these dramatically shape the output.
Treat the first response as a starting point. Tell it what to change. "Make it warmer", "shorter", "less formal", "include a line about X". Most people stop too soon.
If you want it to write like you, paste in a couple of emails you have actually sent. It will pick up your tone, phrasing and style. This is one of the fastest ways to get AI sounding like you.
If you are new to AI, here are five practical things you can try today. None of them take more than a few minutes.
Draft a reply to a tricky emailPaste in the email you received and tell the AI what you want to say in plain English. Read what comes back, tweak it, and send. Two minutes instead of twenty.
Summarise a long documentDrop in a report, a transcript or a long article and ask for the key points. You will be amazed how much time this saves.
Plan an eventTell it the brief, the audience and any constraints. Ask it to suggest a structure, run order and key things to think about. A great starting point even if you change most of it.
Think through a tricky situationDescribe a work situation you are uncertain about and ask it to help you think through your options. You don't need to take its advice, but it is a brilliant way to get unstuck.
Prepare for a meetingGive it the attendees, the purpose and any background, and ask it to suggest the right questions to ask, points to make, or things to watch out for.
Whether you are figuring out where to start, supporting your team through the change, or looking at how AI fits with your wider operating model, I would love to talk it through with you.
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