AI is your Assistant – You are still the Boss
Article 1 of 3 in a short series about PEP and AI
There is still one role AI cannot take over
AI is becoming an increasingly important part of our working lives. It can help us draft emails, summarize meetings, analyse documents, and find information in seconds. It can almost feel like magic: one question, one click, and an answer.
But amid all the excitement, there is one thing we must not forget: AI is an assistant. You are still the boss.
Even a highly skilled personal assistant who can gather information, create overviews, draft proposals, and remind you of appointments does not automatically know which goals matter most to you, which commitments you have made, or which compromises you are willing to accept.
The same is true of AI. It can provide a qualified basis for decision-making in a split second, but you are still the one who must make the decision.
AI can prioritise data, but not make your decisions
Imagine a typical Monday morning. Your calendar is full, your inbox contains 85 unread emails, and your task list includes 23 items that need attention.
An AI tool can help identify urgent tasks, group activities, and suggest an order of priority. But AI does not know which task is most critical right now, which relationship requires extra attention, or which of your personal goals carries the greatest weight.
That requires something AI does not possess: personal judgment. That is why AI cannot take over your prioritization. It can make prioritization easier, just as it can help you in many other aspects of your work. But it cannot take responsibility for your decisions.
Give AI something useful to work with
When we talk about AI, the discussion often focuses on prompts: How do we phrase our questions to get the best answer?
That is certainly relevant, but an even more important question comes first: Does AI have a solid foundation to work from?
If your tasks are scattered across emails, Teams messages, OneNote, Planner, Post-it notes, and your own memory, creating a complete overview becomes difficult. For you and for AI.
That is why the classic PEP principles remain essential:
- Keep all your tasks in one place
- Let your calendar reflect reality
- Plan realistically and follow up on commitments
- Be clear about goals and priorities
AI does not replace these good habits. In fact, it makes them even more valuable.
A good assistant requires a clear leader
People can gain quite different levels of value from the same AI tools. The difference does not always lie in the technology itself, but in the context in which the technology is used.
The employee who has collected tasks in one place, actively uses a calendar, plans the week, and knows what matters most has a much stronger foundation for taking advantage of AI. Not because the tool is better, but because the basis for decision-making is.
For decades, we have worked professionally with overview, prioritization, planning, focus, and action as key work principles. You might think these skills become less important as AI becomes more advanced, but in fact we see the opposite.
The more opportunities technology provides, the more important it becomes to evaluate options and make the right choices. And making the right choices requires clarity and overview.
Who is really making the decision?
The next time you use AI, try asking yourself three questions:
- Have I clearly defined the goal of the task?
- Have I evaluated AI’s input in the right context?
- Am I prepared to take responsibility for my decision?
If the answer is yes, you are most likely using AI as the assistant it should be. If not, it may be worth taking a moment to reflect before you hit Send.
Today’s key message: AI can provide overview and suggestions. But the direction, the priorities, and the decision are still yours!
In the next article, we will take a closer look at the foundation on which AI builds its answers. As the saying goes: Garbage in, garbage out. And that truth has not become any less relevant in the age of AI.
Our job is to make you better at yours!