AI Tools Are Intensifying Email, Not Replacing It
Nearly half of Australians now use generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, with a significant portion deploying them to draft and send emails. The technology promises to automate daily communication tasks. But history suggests AI will amplify email's role rather than reduce it.
The ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision Making & Society found that 45.6% of Australians have recently used generative AI. Many apply these tools to email workflows, handling routine drafting and replies that once consumed hours of a workday.
The pattern mirrors what happened with previous technologies. When digital communication arrived, predictions said paper would disappear. Instead, paper usage increased. Email itself was supposed to streamline communication-yet it became a constant, often overwhelming presence for office workers.
AI is likely to follow the same trajectory. Rather than retiring email as a core workplace tool, AI will make it faster to use, which could paradoxically encourage more of it. Easier drafting may mean more messages sent and received, not fewer.
For PR and communications professionals, this shift carries real implications. AI can smooth friction points in email workflows-reducing time spent on routine replies and formatting. But it may also raise expectations for response speed and message volume.
The real question for communicators: Will AI tools free up time for strategic work, or simply accelerate the pace of email itself?
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