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How EAs should approach this AI era
AI is reshaping who rises next across the EA profession
EA-Pros
February 01, 2026
This Window Won’t Stay Open
~ 5 min read
Right now, executives are scanning the environment with a very specific question in mind:
“What will our organization look like on the other side of AI?”
When leaders ask that question, they become unusually open to new models, new roles, and new leverage points.
That openness is the window.
TL;DR
Market catalysts create short windows where new roles and influence emerge.
AI is creating that window now — leaders are investing, but struggling to turn it into ROI. (McKinsey & Company)
Strategic assistants can become the “red blinking light” executives follow — if they learn the right frameworks + adoption judgment, not more tasks.
The Insight
This isn’t the first time the market has done this.
When a catalyst hits, organizations don’t just adopt new tools — they reorganize around new risks, new opportunities, and new decision bottlenecks.
That’s how entire leadership roles have been born:
As cybersecurity moved from “IT issue” to board-level risk, the CISO rose into the executive suite. (Dark Reading)
As data became an enterprise asset, the Chief Data Officer emerged to own strategy and governance. (Datalere)
And now, as AI becomes core to strategy and governance, organizations are creating roles like Chief AI Officer to oversee implementation and direction. (ibm.com)
The pattern is consistent:
Catalyst → uncertainty → executive scanning → new decision load → new roles.
AI is currently in the “uncertainty + scanning” phase.
Leaders expect to invest more in AI, but they’re under growing pressure to produce real results from it. (McKinsey & Company)
That gap — investment without clarity — is where a strategic assistant can become disproportionately valuable.
Reframe
It’s not that AI will “change assistant work.”
It’s that AI is changing what executives need most: signal, adoption, and capacity protection.
When everyone is flooding leaders with tools, ideas, and noise, the most powerful person in the room becomes the one who can say:
“Here’s what matters. Here’s what doesn’t. Here’s how we adopt without breaking trust.”
That’s not admin support.
That’s organizational leverage.
Executive Translation
What they’re experiencing: Too many options, not enough certainty. (S&P Global)
What they’ll say:
“We need to figure out our AI strategy.”
What they mean: “I need a filter. I need adoption help. I need fewer decisions hitting me, I feel overwhelmed.”
What they need: A trusted translator who turns noise into next steps.
This Week’s Strategic Move
What’s happening
AI is increasing decision noise, and executives are scanning for clarity.
Why it matters
Noise drains executive capacity. Translation creates leverage.
What to do
Shift one AI conversation from curiosity to decision clarity.
Do (≤2 minutes):
Before your next check-in, identify one AI-related topic your executive has mentioned but not acted on.
Say:
“There’s a lot of noise around AI right now. I can narrow this to what actually matters for us if that’s helpful.”
Ask:
“What would make this worth your attention — and what would make it unnecessary?”
This is how assistants quietly move from tracking trends to designing adoption flow.
Forward This to Your Executive
Quick share: AI is opening a temporary window for role redesign.
One-line summary: The winners will be the teams that translate AI into decisions — not just tools.
• What’s happening: AI is increasing decision noise.
• Why it matters: Noise drains executive capacity.
• What to do: Assign one trusted filter for adoption decisions.
A Quick Note on What We’re Seeing Right Now
How Assistants Are Actually Stepping Into This Window
This shift doesn’t happen by accident.
The assistants we’re seeing rise right now aren’t “learning AI tools.”
They’re learning how to translate AI into executive advantage.
That’s exactly what Week 3 of the Strategic Assistant Micro-Intensive is designed to do.
The Strategic Assistant AI Advantage Framework teaches you how to:
• filter AI noise into executive-level signal
• guide adoption without risk or overwhelm
• protect executive capacity while change is happening
Not as a technician. As a strategic partner leaders trust during uncertainty.
If this newsletter resonated, this is the framework that turns insight into real separation—while the window is still open.
(Enrollment for the next round is now open.)
PS: Strategic assistants don’t wait for the profession to redefine them — they use the window to redefine the profession.