The Rise of AI-Powered Inbox Management
Executives are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to help manage the dreaded post-vacation inbox. The process of digging out after time away is getting its first real upgrade in years, according to a report by Bloomberg Businessweek.
For Lindsey Scrase, chief operating officer at Checkr Inc., a San Francisco-based background-screening company, taking a nine-day trip to Japan with her family was an opportunity to try out this new technology. Previously, Scrase had found that getting away from work inevitably meant back-to-back catch-up meetings and an overflowing inbox upon return. “I want to really unplug this time,” she said before her 11-hour flight.
The always-on workplace culture, accelerated by the rise of remote work, has blurred the lines between work and personal life. Now, a growing number of companies are rolling out tools designed to quickly catch up busy managers and staff who mute alerts on holiday. Microsoft Corp.’s Copilot, one of the most prominent offerings, costs users $30 a month. Google’s Gemini and Atlassian Corp.’s Rovo are bundled with enterprise subscriptions; the latter now counts 1.5 million monthly AI users, up 50% from the previous quarter.
These AI tools are designed to help reduce the stress of returning to work after time off. By outsourcing the task of reentry to artificial intelligence, executives like Scrase hope to be able to truly unplug and avoid the email hangover that often awaits them upon their return.
