Finally, I have an EA that aligns with my exacting expectations – here’s how I hired and trained her.
Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Copy.ai, Bard and Bing bring the phenomenal power of ‘executive assistants’ at fraction of effort and resources, for execs like myself.
I trained them once (may have shared over 200 pieces of my emails and memos and articles and corrected my expectations) on my style of letter writing, report writing and even external communication. I did this over 2-3 weekends almost 8 months ago. I told them that this is ‘Rajesh Soundararajan style’.
Today, I spend fraction of my time on any of these many tasks and makes me wonder even if 4 human EAs together will do what these AI tools do. Often times, I make her (my AIssistant) rewrite and fine tune 6-7 times, often pivot on a different angle for different audience, change the content to bullet points, expand to a two page reading document, 6 page white paper and even have 50 word summary cover letter and emails. These tools tirelessly work so patiently being apologetic for each feedback, willing to learn, try to do better each time.
I just spell out the key points and the specific words, tones and purpose in my prompt and ask these tools to “write in Rajesh Soundararajan style”. I have eschewed personal secretaries in my past life because I know that I am extremely demanding. I would experiment different angles of same message and it would have been exhausting to my assistants and me as well for the time and effort.
I needed to keep them motivated and yet being micro-manager on any communication that goes out from my desk it was a challenge. And if I had tasked them even 10% of what I do with AI tools, they would have quit in 24 hours. My deepest salute to the generative AI industry.
PS: My next test will be driverless cars. A finicky driver myself, no other driver ever suited my style. No I am inclined to test driverless cars. Hopefully I can train them too like how I did with my Executive Assistant.
