• The secretarial role has shifted since the start of the Industrial Revolution and is expected to continue to do so in the age of AI.
• Hollis Robbins predicts that secretaries could be in demand in the AI-driven future, not as administrative assistants, but as confidantes and advisors.
• The mid-20th century Gibbs training speaks to the competence, intelligence, and cultivation expected of top secretaries.
• Self-secretarying has contributed to office fragmentation long before remote work.
• A good secretary will use ChatGPT to help manage information flow but will focus most working hours on tasks that are unique to each leader.
• A good executive assistant will more than make up the deficit of a $120,000 salary.
• The role of the secretary provides a real springboard for leadership and is fulfilling in and of itself.
• Colleges and universities could play a role in training students to practice skills that AI can’t deliver and that employers value.
• The idea of posting a job ad for a “secretary” sounds comically old-fashioned, but to be the person literally entrusted with secrets seems fundamentally more accurate to the role.
Published January 17, 2023
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