{"id":8565,"date":"2026-06-22T13:09:37","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T13:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/?p=8565"},"modified":"2026-06-22T13:09:37","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T13:09:37","slug":"ai-was-supposed-to-replace-executive-assistants-it-promoted-them-instead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/?p=8565","title":{"rendered":"AI was supposed to replace executive assistants. It promoted them instead"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Despite layoffs hitting executive assistants at companies including PwC and McKinsey, the role may not be disappearing. It may be evolving into something more powerful.<\/p>\n

In the age of AI, the best executive assistants won\u2019t just manage calendars and expenses, says Adnan Khan, cofounder and co-CEO of executive assistant staffing firm Viva Talent. They\u2019ll increasingly act as proxies for the executives they support.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal is to be as much of a proxy for the executive as possible and all the things that cannot be done by AI,\u201d he says. \u201cSo, less assistant, more executive.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Khan says he hasn\u2019t had many clients tell him they are cutting EA roles. Instead, they are looking for more advanced assistants who can leverage AI strategically to support larger teams, manage more complex workflows, and take on responsibilities traditionally reserved for managers or chiefs of staff.<\/p>\n

That could mean running company-wide meetings on an executive\u2019s behalf, coordinating cross-functional initiatives, or even conducting initial performance reviews for an executive\u2019s direct reports, Khan predicts.<\/p>\n

The market appears to be rewarding that shift. A new Payscale report found that some of the jobs AI was expected to replace\u2014<\/em>like executive assistants\u2014<\/em>are seeing rising pay. Employers are even paying a premium to attract them: In the tech industry, executive assistants command a 26% new-hire market advantage, earning $110,000 compared to $87,000 for incumbent employees.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Khan attributes the demand to qualities AI has yet to master. Executive assistants are expected to exercise empathy, relatability, and sound judgment\u2014skills that remain critical in a role built as much on human relationships as operational efficiency, he says.<\/p>\n

One executive recently told Khan that the value behind a human assistant is that they \u201chold him accountable like a peer, not like a subordinate or a tool.\u201d A trusted assistant can push for decisions, challenge assumptions, and drive follow-through in ways software simply can\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Khan notes that some of the world\u2019s leading AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, still rely on executive assistants and continue to hire them. \u201cIf they are not eliminating EAs, then who is?\u201d he says. \u201cThey are certainly not signaling that it\u2019s an obsolete role that will be replaced by their own tech.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kristin Stoller<\/strong>
Editorial Director, Fortune Live Media
kristin.stoller@fortune.com<\/p>\n

Around the Table<\/h3>\n

A round-up of the most important HR headlines.<\/em><\/p>\n

Should middle managers exist? That\u2019s the big debate company leaders are having as these bosses get the ax. <\/span>Bloomberg<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Recruiters are using AI in creative ways to fix the broken job interview process. <\/span>Wall Street Journal<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

New research shows that remote work has contributed to a third of mental health deterioration over the last 15 years. <\/span>New York Times<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Watercooler<\/h3>\n

Everything you need to know from <\/em>Fortune.<\/em><\/p>\n

Tokenmaxxing trouble<\/b>. Despite tokens getting cheaper, experts warn that companies are <\/span>spending more<\/span> on AI as a result. <\/span>\u2014Sasha Rogelberg<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Grind culture<\/b>. <\/span>Shark Tank<\/span><\/i> investor Kevin O\u2019Leary slams <\/span>work-life balance<\/span>, saying founders should work \u201c25 hours a day, eight days a week.\u201d <\/span>\u2014Sydney Lake<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Affordability crisis<\/b>. For the first time in U.S. history, the majority of American families have both mom and dad <\/span>working full-time<\/span>. <\/span>\u2014Jacqueline Munis<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

#supposed #replace #executive #assistants #promoted<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Despite layoffs hitting executive assistants at companies including PwC and McKinsey, the role may not be disappearing. It may be evolving into something more powerful. In the age of AI,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[361,6074,3081,332,4646,818,3140,10661,5559,5988,2381],"class_list":["post-8565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance-news","tag-ai-agents","tag-assistants","tag-corporate-culture","tag-executive","tag-fortune-workplace-innovation","tag-hiring","tag-leadership","tag-promoted","tag-replace","tag-supposed","tag-the-future-of-work"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8565"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8565\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}