Artificial Intelligence: Your Personal Email Butler
No matter how much time we spend unclogging our email inboxes on any given day, it seems like more calendar invites, premeeting memos, and “urgent” tech updates will pile up tomorrow. The sheer scale of this problem might make us wish for a personal email butler. Well, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), that might just become a reality.
Companies like Shortwave, founded by ex-Googlers, and Sanebox, a $3.49-a-month utility, offer third-party extensions that can help you triage your unread messages. These AI-powered tools analyze your emails and prioritize them based on their importance, allowing you to focus on what matters most. They can even learn your preferences over time, becoming more accurate in sorting your inbox.
But it’s not just independent companies that are offering AI-based email management tools. Major email platforms are also developing similar features. For example, when drafting a note in Gmail, you can now add context that Google’s Bard chatbot pulls from your Google Calendar, Maps searches, and other Google apps. This integration provides you with relevant information right at your fingertips, making it easier to craft emails and respond to messages efficiently.
Google’s Bard is a free tool that you can access at bard.google.com. However, if you have a work account, you might need to ask your company’s IT administrator to enable Bard for you. This integration demonstrates how AI is seamlessly integrating into our everyday tasks, enhancing our productivity and streamlining our workflows.
The use of AI in email management is a game-changer for individuals and businesses alike. It eliminates the need to manually sift through hundreds of emails, saving valuable time and reducing the chances of missing important messages. By automating the sorting process, AI-powered tools can ensure that your inbox remains organized, allowing you to focus on more critical tasks.
Moreover, these AI tools are constantly evolving and improving. As they gather more data and learn from user interactions, their algorithms become more refined, resulting in even better email management. The ability to adapt and learn is one of the significant advantages of AI, making it an ideal solution for the ever-increasing volume of emails we receive.
While AI-powered email management tools are undoubtedly beneficial, it’s essential to strike a balance. Over-relying on AI can lead to complacency and detachment from our emails. It’s still crucial to review and respond to messages personally, especially when it comes to critical matters or sensitive information. AI should be seen as a valuable assistant rather than a replacement for human judgment and decision-making.
In conclusion, AI is revolutionizing the way we manage our emails. Whether through third-party extensions or integrated features within popular email platforms, AI-powered tools can help us navigate the overwhelming influx of messages. By leveraging the capabilities of AI, we can regain control of our inboxes, increase our productivity, and ensure that we don’t miss out on essential communications. So, say goodbye to email overload and let AI be your personal email butler.