Boring AI
I've been thinking a lot lately about boring AI. That is, AI that takes away a lot of the boring stuff I have to do in a day rather than all the shiny stuff that I would like to be doing. Like writing on my blog.
There's lots of examples of boring AI. Things like help with filling in forms, summarising lengthy emails and reports, responding to proposals, chasing up things I've ordered but that haven't shown up, sending updates to clients, sorting folders on my hard drive, the list of time consuming, draining task drudgery in my life that at times seems endless.
And that's the beauty of boring AI. AI won't revolutionise how I write my next blog post or report but it will maybe give me back my time, to clear the tasks that sap my energy so I can focus on what really matters. I want to be able to open my inbox and find it pre-sorted with summaries of what’s urgent, a list of ready-to-send responses for common queries, and no endless, waffly email threads to trudge through. Or where I can hand off my calendar to an AI that schedules meetings knowing when I like to be around people.
The term “boring AI” is a intentionally derogatory. There’s something that feels quietly subversive about getting the hours back. It’s not wow factor, more about the steady, dependable support that lets will let me focus on things that bring joy, fulfilment, or real progress.
For my business, boring AI has meant automating invoice approvals, keeping compliance records up-to-date, and making sure all the little but necessary operational tasks happen without someone having to stress over them - like sorting through bills and setting them up for payment.
AI shouldn't be about replacing human ingenuity and creativity; instead, I want it to be about freeing up more time to do the things I want, the things that give me meaning and the things we're good at. I don't want my AI to replace my creativity, I want it to work, so I don't have to.