Satya Nadella’s 5 Favorite AI Prompts to Boost Productivity and Stay Ahead

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s 5 AI Prompts to Boost Your Daily Workflow

Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, integrates GPT-5 on Copilot into his daily routine to improve productivity across meetings, projects, and more. While AI is disrupting entry-level roles, executives like Nadella embrace the technology to stay ahead and work smarter.

In a recent LinkedIn post, Nadella shared five specific AI prompts that have added a “new layer of intelligence” to his work. These prompts help him generate meeting summaries, track project progress, and monitor priorities efficiently, proving useful for anyone looking to enhance their workflow with AI assistance.

Nadella’s Top 5 AI Prompts for Productivity

• “Based on my prior interactions with [/person], give me 5 things likely top of mind for our next meeting.”
  Use this to prepare by understanding key topics before a conversation.
• “Draft a project update based on emails, chats, and all meetings in [/series]: KPIs vs. targets, wins/losses, risks, competitive moves, plus likely tough questions and answers.”
  This prompt helps create comprehensive updates without spending hours gathering info.
• “Are we on track for the [Product] launch in November? Check eng progress, pilot program results, risks. Give me a probability.”
  Get a clear snapshot of project status and risk assessment.
• “Review my calendar and email from the last month and create 5 to 7 buckets for projects I spend most time on, with % of time spent and short descriptions.”
  Understand where your time goes and prioritize accordingly.
• “Review [/select email] + prep me for the next meeting in [/series], based on past manager and team discussions.”
  Prepare efficiently with context-aware briefing before meetings.

Why CEOs Are Turning to AI

AI is becoming a daily tool for many top executives. Nvidia’s Jensen Huang uses AI platforms like ChatGPT as a tutor to quickly grasp new concepts by starting simple and building up to complex topics. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also relies on ChatGPT for managing emails and document summaries, and even credits it with helping him manage fatherhood.

These examples show that AI can be a practical assistant not only for entry-level tasks but also for strategic and personal productivity.

How to Get Better Results with AI Prompts

Getting the most from AI requires clear communication. Anthropic, the company behind the AI model Claude, recommends testing your prompts with someone unfamiliar with the task. If your colleague is confused, the AI likely will be too. If the AI doesn’t deliver what you want initially, refine your prompt or add more specific details.

Prompting effectively also means being ready to correct mistakes. Sometimes users add phrases like “think step by step,” but the AI may interpret this differently than expected. Learning how to communicate with AI improves over time, and the AI itself can teach you better prompting techniques.

For anyone wanting to sharpen their AI skills, exploring courses on prompt engineering and AI tools can provide practical guidance to maximize AI’s benefits.