AI in Email: When to Use It and When to Hold Back

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While AI can whip up email drafts in a matter of seconds, it’s not always the best choice. Some messages are suitable for automation, but others require a personal touch. Deciding when to let AI take over and when to craft your responses manually can significantly impact your communication.

1
AI is Suitable for Basic Emails

For straightforward emails like quick logistical notes, using AI to draft your reply is generally acceptable. If your message doesn’t call for much creativity or complex thought, relying on AI is unlikely to compromise your message’s clarity.

For instance, you might say, “Create a brief, professional response to the email below and propose a meeting at 11 AM” when organizing a simple meeting.

2
AI Can Assist If Your Inbox is Overflowing

If your email inbox is filled with questions from colleagues that need answers, AI can help lighten your workload. While it’s generally best to avoid AI for anything requiring original thought, it can be a valuable assistant for drafting responses.

For example, you can jot down your thoughts in bullet points and then ask ChatGPT to transform those points into a more structured email.

Furthermore, AI can assist you in managing your overflowing inbox. Tools like Outlook’s Copilot and applications such as Grammarly and Sanebox can streamline your email management process.

3
AI Can Enhance Your Writing

If you’re struggling with an email, AI tools such as ChatGPT can provide valuable support during the brainstorming and drafting phases. You can paste your email draft and request suggestions for revisions, additional ideas, or a more formal rewrite.

Leveraging AI in this way doesn’t replace your unique ideas, but rather helps you refine them.

4
Avoid AI When Creativity and Critical Thinking Are Required

When it comes to originality, AI is typically not the best option if your creative and analytical skills are needed. Inputting an email you received into ChatGPT to draft a response may work for basic communications, but when meaningful engagement is necessary, relying on AI is rarely advisable.

Your boss, coworker, or friend likely wants to hear your perspective, not a generic response generated by AI. While AI may serve as a helpful tool, it cannot replace your creative input.

5
Steer Clear of AI If You Can’t Edit the Result

AI models often produce verbose and repetitive text. Unless you’re an expert in prompt crafting or provide extensive details to improve the output, you’ll probably need to edit what ChatGPT generates in most cases. Blaise Pascal once noted, “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter,” and this principle applies to AI-generated writing as well.

As you’ve likely noticed, all the example prompts I created include the term “concise.” A slight adjustment in phrasing can greatly improve the outcome, as demonstrated below with the same request framed in a standard versus “concise” format.

Even then, the more concise version can still come off as rather generic, needing significant edits to enhance originality and brevity.

If your company has policies against AI use or employs tools to check for AI-generated content, you may want to refrain from using AI altogether. Keep in mind that you could be mistakenly flagged for AI usage even if you didn’t employ it.

6
AI Can Come Across as Disrespectful

Using AI to draft emails can save you time, but what takes you moments to generate can require significant time for others to read. I’ve encountered colleagues from previous jobs who obviously used generative AI to compose their emails; I found the lengthy and meandering text frustrating, as I ended up spending more time deciphering their messages than they spent creating them.

While AI tools can enhance your productivity, it’s essential to be considerate of others’ time when using them for writing.

As a general rule of thumb when contemplating AI for emails and other communication: am I being inconsiderate of someone else’s time by opting for AI?

Using AI for basic emails, outlining ideas, or supplementing your writing is usually acceptable. However, if you’re deferring to AI because you’re unwilling to invest the effort into crafting a thoughtful response, you might want to reconsider AI use. In some cases, it’s better to remain silent.