Picture this: your CEO is in Tokyo, your CFO is in Sydney, and you’re holding the threads of their calendars, travel and priorities together while also preparing a board pack. This scenario is standard fare for a senior EA, but here’s the twist: the most effective assistants aren’t doing it alone. They’re building custom AI workflows that mirror how their executives think and work.
Most EAs have experimented with AI, drafting emails, transcribing meetings or summarising reports. But the real game-changer is moving beyond generic use. Custom AI workflows mean designing prompts, systems and automations tailored to an executive’s unique style, language and priorities. In practice, this could look like an AI tool that knows your CEO prefers concise one-page summaries, or that your board chair likes a “what this means” section at the top of every briefing. PwC’s Global Workforce Hopes & Fears Survey 2024 found that 62% of employees feel overwhelmed by the pace of change, while 44% admit they don’t understand why changes are being introduced. This signals a pressing need for clarity and alignment. For EAs, the opportunity isn’t just about efficiency: it’s about helping their executives cut through the noise by shaping AI to match leadership decision styles.
Thinking like your executive
Regie, a senior EA based in Victoria, puts it plainly: “My CEO is strategic, always asking ‘what’s next?’ so I’ve built AI workflows that anticipate future steps. For example, when I prepare a travel brief, the AI automatically includes competitor events in the same city. It’s not just admin; it’s thinking ahead the way they would.”
This level of personalisation turns AI into an extension of the EA’s brain. Instead of manually reworking AI outputs, the assistant invests once in setting the rules, tone and format, then lets the workflow run in the background. Over time, the AI begins to ‘sound’ like the executive, making approvals faster and communication smoother.
Building practical workflows
Custom AI doesn’t require coding skills. Tools like Zapier, Notion AI and Microsoft Copilot now allow drag and drop creation of workflows. An EA might link meeting transcripts to an AI that instantly produces action lists in the CEO’s preferred style, or route industry news feeds into an AI that filters for only the three themes the board currently cares about.
The Future of Jobs Report 2025 from the World Economic Forum highlights that 86% of employers expect AI to reshape their business by 2030. It also predicts a net gain of 78 million jobs globally, with digital fluency and adaptability becoming core skills. For EAs, this reinforces the idea that shaping AI tools around executive priorities is not optional, it’s a necessity for remaining relevant.
Safeguards and boundaries
Of course, there are boundaries. Confidentiality and accuracy remain the EA’s responsibility. AI should never replace final checks or judgement calls. Building workflows includes setting stop-points where the EA reviews outputs before they go further. In many cases, AI is best used to get 80% of the way there, with the EA adding the last 20% of insight and context.
That balance reassures executives who may still be cautious about AI. Instead of fearing automation, they see their EA amplifying their own decision-making capacity. The World Economic Forum also stresses that urgent reskilling is needed across all sectors, underscoring the EA’s role as both early adopter and trusted interpreter of new technology.
Looking ahead
The EA role has always been about mirroring and amplifying an executive’s priorities. AI doesn’t change that; it enhances it. By building custom workflows, senior assistants are moving beyond admin and becoming strategic partners, able to anticipate needs before they’re spoken.
As AI continues to reshape business at a pace, the EAs who thrive will be those who don’t just use the tools but shape them to think like their executives. That alignment is fast becoming the new benchmark for effectiveness, and the difference between simply keeping pace and actively leading.
