Will AI replace Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants?

Many of your tasks are within reach of AI. The role will change, so it pays to act now.

Task exposure to today's AI

61/100

High exposure

This is the occupation's typical task mix. Your own score can be up to 30 points higher or lower depending on how you work: routine share, people contact, judgment and how much you already use AI.

Get your personal score

Will AI replace Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants?

Not entirely. Today's AI tools can take on about 61% of the typical work in this occupation, mostly: prepare invoices, reports, memos, letters, financial statements, and other documents, using word processing, spreadsheet, database, or presentation software. The parts that stay human include: Manage and maintain executives' schedules.; Answer phone calls and direct calls to appropriate parties or take messages.; Coordinate and direct office services, such as records, departmental finances, budget preparation, personnel issues, and housekeeping, to aid executives..

People who learn to use AI for the automatable parts keep the edge. The 3-phase plan below shows where to start.

Which tasks AI can take on

The largest tasks in this occupation, their share of the working week, and how much of each today's AI tools can do.

TaskAutomatable

Prepare invoices, reports, memos, letters, financial statements, and other documents, using word processing, spreadsheet, database, or presentation software.AI already used 80%

Manage and maintain executives' schedules. 70%

Prepare agendas and make arrangements, such as coordinating catering for luncheons, for committee, board, and other meetings. 65%

Perform general office duties, such as ordering supplies, maintaining records management database systems, and performing basic bookkeeping work. 57%

Answer phone calls and direct calls to appropriate parties or take messages. 53%

Coordinate and direct office services, such as records, departmental finances, budget preparation, personnel issues, and housekeeping, to aid executives. 45%

+ 16 more tasks (49% of the week) in the full test.

Your human edge

Manage and maintain executives' schedules.
Answer phone calls and direct calls to appropriate parties or take messages.
Coordinate and direct office services, such as records, departmental finances, budget preparation, personnel issues, and housekeeping, to aid executives.

AI tools to try

Microsoft 365 Copilot or Google Gemini for WorkspaceChatGPT / Claude for emails and documentsAutomation tools (Power Automate, Zapier, Make)

Related roles

A 3-phase AI learning plan

Phase 1

Automate the routine

Emails, letters and documents from templates with AI.
Data entry and extraction from forms and PDFs.
Spreadsheet work with AI help.

Project

Build an AI prompt library for your five most-written documents (board memo, meeting minutes, travel itinerary, expense summary, thank-you letter) and time 10 real drafts before and after.

Phase 2

Workflows across tools

Connect email, forms and spreadsheets with no-code automations.
Checks and controls on automated steps.
Document how each workflow works.

Project

Build a no-code workflow that turns incoming meeting requests into calendar holds, an agenda draft and a catering checklist, with a review step, and document it in a one-page runbook.

Phase 3

From doing to coordinating

Become the person who maintains the team's automations.
Train colleagues.
Look at roles in operations, coordination or process improvement.

Project

Run two 45-minute training sessions teaching three colleagues your automations, hand over a maintained runbook log, and survey them on hours saved per week.

Take the free 11-question test