The big idea and why it matters: AI-powered technologies are already being used in email management, and you’re probably using them whether you know it or not. Still, there appears to be an opportunity to harness AI to more significantly streamline workflows, reduce clutter, and focus on high-priority tasks – if you’re willing to put in the effort to do so.
“You can spend hours editing an email but send it as if you wrote it in a minute.” – Sally Rooney (Irish author and screenwriter)
Continuing with my exploration of the pragmatic use of AI IRL (that’s “in real life,” per the kids), today, my goal is to dive deeper into the double-edged sword that is email. If you’re like me, it’s an absolute daily necessity, and it’s hard to imagine how life worked without it; however, the sheer volume of email can often be overwhelming, and developing an email-management approach that is both effective and efficient is an ongoing challenge. Can AI help with any of it? That’s what I’m trying to find out. I have no idea how this will go, so if it’s a complete disaster, I apologize in advance. Here we go!
Surprise!
You’re probably using AI already and don’t even know it. For example, if you use Microsoft Outlook and have the “Other” vs. “Focused” inboxes turned on, that feature is powered by AI. On the one hand, that leaves me slightly concerned, as I’m already using the “Other” inbox, and I’d like to find even greater efficiencies if possible. On the other (nice pun?) hand, I’m grateful for that feature, as it represents thousands of emails per month not finding their way into my main Inbox.
Similarly, the auto inbox-filtering you may have noticed in Gmail – with categories like Primary, Promotions, Social, and Updates – is also AI-powered. Email quarantines are another AI-based technology. These filtering features are generally beneficial, but every so often, the algorithms goof and keep important emails from getting through as they should. Case in point: last week, our quarantine categorized a client’s legitimate emails not just as harmless “Low Priority” messages but, instead, more overtly as “Spam!”
To be fair, the quarantine action may have had to do with that client sending me three emails in one minute, so it’s also a good lesson to be mindful of your email-sending habits in the new age. In the same vein, my sister-in-law was entirely blocked by Verizon at one point because she sent so many texts to my wife and me (which is still hilarious, every time I think about it). Go easy, or AI may put you in the corner with Baby.
What Else?
Beyond the basics (above), what can we do to harness AI for better email management? Here are some ideas to consider, including my “email-user comments” in italics:
(1) Smart Replies and Predictive Text: Many email platforms offer AI-powered smart replies and predictive text suggestions. These features can save time by suggesting quick responses or completing sentences as you type, but…
…this depends on how fast you think and type. Thus far, I’ve found these features can be useful for a quick “Thanks – very helpful!” sort of response (or whatever the AI suggests). Speaking specifically about Outlook, most of the time, the suggestions don’t even show up, and providing me with three-word responses isn’t saving much time (if any). My research indicates that you cannot use email conversation view (grouping of threads) and quick responses simultaneously, which is a deal-breaker for me. Significant improvement is needed for this to be useful!
(2) Email Categorization and Prioritization: Beyond the basic inbox filtering, some advanced AI tools can categorize emails based on their content and prioritize them accordingly. According to Copilot, tools like SaneBox or Clean Email use AI to learn your preferences and automatically sort your emails into folders like Important, Newsletters, or Snoozed for later review.
These more advanced filters sound like they could have some merit, though I’m sure it requires a learning curve and commitment to altering one’s usual process. My present challenge is that I haven’t learned whether our IT/tech stack allows for any of these solutions. It’s also not something I can meaningfully implement inside of a couple of days for this conversation – particularly while the financial world seems to be falling apart (it’s tariffic! 😊) – so I have to table any deeper dive for a future Alt Blend.
(3) Automated Follow-Ups: Have you ever forgotten to follow up on an important email? Services like Boomerang or FollowUpThen can remind you to follow up on emails if you haven’t received a response within a specific timeframe, which can help ensure that nothing slips through the cracks.
Same answer as above. The entire point of the daily systems I follow is to do my best to prevent anything from falling through the cracks. If AI can assist on that front, then I am all for it, and they are worth a look. TBD.
(4) Spam and Phishing Detection: AI is continually improving/adapting to detect spam and phishing attempts to try and keep up with the questionable humans (and their bots) sending this nonsense. By analyzing patterns and behaviors, AI can flag suspicious emails more accurately than traditional filters, helping to add another layer of security to our inboxes.
These are undoubtedly useful, but – as with some of the integrated AI filters we discussed above – we’re already using them, and there isn’t a big “to-do” here.
(5) Personal Assistants: Virtual assistants like Cortana or Google Assistant can integrate with your email to help manage your schedule, set reminders, and even draft emails based on your voice commands. This hands-free approach can really come in handy when you’re on the go.
While I use Google Assistant (now evolving into “Gemini”) pretty often to voice-command Google Maps in our car, stop/start podcasts, set alarms, play music, and send texts, I hadn’t thought about utilizing it for scheduling, reminders, or drafting email. That may not even be helpful, but it is intriguing and worth a try.
Beyond the items above, some other suggestions are email summarization or email translation for those who receive emails in different languages; this sounds incredibly helpful for those facing these particular issues, but I haven’t encountered either situation.
As alluded to in today’s title, this AI email research didn’t turn out how I hoped (which was probably for an immediate life-changing email solution, but perhaps that’s an unfair expectation). As we’ve learned, there are promising features, like more advanced filtering and smarter virtual assistants, but will they seamlessly integrate into our lives to save time and significantly overhaul our current email experience?
I remain excited to see how AI will continue to evolve and improve many aspects of our lives. It’s been quite an undertaking attempting to scratch the surface of this complex topic, and I hope you’ve found this journey to be useful. At the same time, I cannot wait to get back to real Alts topics, as AI has been thoroughly exhausting!
Until next time, this is the end of alt.Blend.
Thanks for reading,
Steve
