AI for office workers

At a glance

Writing emails, preparing reports, summarising long documents, tidying messy meeting notes — on a working day, AI can work like a quick assistant. But one rule always applies: never put confidential work information into AI.

Where it helps most

When you need to write an important email, tell AI the main points and it can put them into professional wording — what you want to say is yours, AI just tidies the language.

If you don't have time to read a general or public policy or a long piece of writing, you can ask AI for a short summary of that part — but never give it confidential or unpublished company documents this way.

If you have messy handwritten meeting notes, leave out the names of people or clients, give AI only the general points, and it can put together a clean list.

If you need to learn an Excel function or a new piece of software for work, you can ask AI to teach you step by step, while you practise on your own phone.

Try it yourself Time: 5 minutes

1. 1.Open an AI app on your phone.
2. 2.Pick an email you need to write that has nothing confidential in it — an ordinary, routine topic.
3. 3.Delete what's inside the square brackets [ ] and put in your own details, then send:

   I want to email a colleague to say that [tomorrow's meeting should move back one day, to Thursday]. Write a short email in professional but polite language.

   Copy
4. 4.Next, ask it to help you learn a skill:

   In Excel, what is the easiest way to [compare the data in two sheets]? Explain step by step so I can practise on my own phone.

   Copy
5. 5.Read the answer and make sure you understand it. Adjust it a little to fit your workplace's style and situation, then use it.