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← Course overviewModule 4 of 8 · 60 min

AI assistants at work

Five routines for email, meetings, research, documents and data, with prompts, checks and pitfalls.

Learning goals

  • You use an AI assistant safely for five everyday routines.
  • You build a check into every routine.
  • You know the labour-law specifics of meeting tools in Germany.
4.1

Email and drafts

For many people, email is the biggest time sink. An assistant can sort unread messages by urgency and write draft replies. The check is what matters: read every draft before it goes out, and watch commitments, dates and numbers.

Prompt
Sort my unread emails into three groups: reply today, this week, read only. Justify each assignment in a few words. For "today", write draft replies in my tone: friendly, direct, five sentences at most. Do not invent commitments or dates.

According to the 2026 Microsoft Work Trend Index, 86 % of respondents treat AI output as a starting point. That is the right attitude for every draft.

4.2

Meetings, research and documents

Meetings: Have agendas drafted from the last minutes and action minutes produced from transcripts. Tasks count only once the owner confirms them. If the employer introduces a transcription tool, it can be used to monitor performance and behaviour. In Germany, works council co-determination under Section 87(1) No. 6 of the Works Constitution Act then usually applies.

Research: Use assistants with web search and accept only statements with a source. Open the sources. Check the date.

Documents: Upload long documents and get a summary with citations. Ask precisely: "Which deadlines are in this contract? Quote the passages."

4.3

Data and spreadsheets

Many assistants can analyse spreadsheets, create charts and explain formulas. That saves time on monthly reports and analyses. It is also the routine with the highest error risk, because wrong numbers look plausible.

Three rules for working with data:

  1. Have the calculation shown, not just the result.
  2. Check every key figure once by hand on a sample.
  3. Do not put personal or strictly confidential data into tools without a business licence and a data processing agreement.
Exercise

One week, two routines

Test two of the five routines in real work.

Do the task in your day-to-day work

You do this task in your day-to-day work, not here in the course. Tick off the steps once you have done them.

What comes out of it: Two tested routines with an honest assessment.

Enter your result here

Enter what came out of the task. Everything is saved automatically. Your results from module 3 are already waiting here.

See an example

This is what a filled-in result could look like. Your entries stay unchanged.

Your two routines
  • Spreadsheets and dataMatches use case: Weekly sales report · Minutes saved in the week: 50 · Rework needed: Cross-check figures, about 10 min · Errors: Wrong calendar week once · Decision: keep
  • Email triageMatches use case: Draft replies to complaints · Minutes saved in the week: 35 · Rework needed: Adjust the tone · Errors: None · Decision: adjust
From module 3 Your top 3 open

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Your two routines
Rate your tasks in module 3 first. Until then you can type the use case freely.
Rate your tasks in module 3 first. Until then you can type the use case freely.

Used again in modules 5 and 8

Your result appears there automatically, and you can take it over with one click. You will also find all results in the workbook.

Go to module 5 →All results in the workbook →

Quiz

1. What is the most important check for AI email drafts?

2. The employer introduces a tool that transcribes every meeting. What usually applies in Germany?

3. Which attitude to AI output is recommended?

4. What should you always do in AI-assisted data analysis?