AI For Email

Struggling to keep up with your overflowing inbox?

The average knowledge worker burns through 28% of their week just managing emails. As a software executive who's been in the tech trenches since the early days of Internet mail, I can tell you this isn't just a productivity drain—it's a massive organizational burden that's killing our ability to ship meaningful work.

I've been fighting this battle since the '90s, back when getting a "You've got mail" notification was still exciting. Now, like most of you, I'm dealing with hundreds of messages daily across multiple platforms, and the traditional approaches just aren't cutting it anymore.

We're finally seeing a breakthrough: AI technology has evolved to a point where it can transform how we handle digital communications. The same industry that gave us this email overflow is finally delivering tools—particularly AI-powered ones—that can help us get ahead of it.

Since everyone’s email style is a little different I thought I’d share some AI-powered email tools and tips to help you reclaim your inbox and get back to the work that matters.

Boost Your Email Efficiency with AI Tools

AI tools can streamline your email management in several ways, including categorizing and prioritizing emails, auto-completing texts, summarizing long documents, and more. Here are some tips on how to reduce your email workload, save time, and improve your efficiency.

AI for Email Management

Maybe someday an AI Agent will send and respond to your email automatically, like this engineer did. But for most of us it requires a great more technical ability than we possess. But in the future it may be a reality, until then here’s some low-hanging fruit.

Google Gemini in Gmail

First, let’s start with the email clients you are probably already using. Did you know that Google has been using Gmail to train AI for years? Well, maybe it’s time to start reaping the benefits.

According to this survey, 30.70% of email users use Gmail. Google’s LLM Gemini can be integrated into GMail if you subscribe to their premium service. With Gemini for Google Workspace, you can use AI-assisted features to draft emails, revise documents, and more.

If you have a work or school Google Account, you can use Gemini if your Workspace administrator has enabled access. If you have a personal Google Account, Gemini is available with Google One AI Premium.

I won’t go into copious detail, but the link above is a goldmine of tips if you aren’t already using them. Here are two common AI benefits of Gmail.

• Smart Compose & Reply: Use Gmail's Smart Compose feature, which leverages AI to suggest phrases as you type, speeding up email composition.

• Priority Inbox: Enable Priority Inbox to let AI automatically sort your emails by importance, focusing on what needs your immediate attention.

Outlook with Microsoft Copilot

Outlook only has about 4.38% market share for email but it’s still among the most popular choices for business users.

Microsoft 365 Copilot integrates advanced AI capabilities into Outlook to streamline email management and improve productivity.

Here's how Copilot can assist you:

1. Email Composition Assistance: Copilot helps draft emails based on your brief prompts or previous communications, saving you time on writing routine messages.

2. Summarizing Email Threads: It provides concise summaries of long email threads, allowing you to quickly grasp essential information without reading every message.

3. Identifying Action Items: Copilot highlights action items and commitments within emails, ensuring important tasks are not overlooked.

4. Scheduling and Calendar Integration: By understanding the context of your emails, Copilot can suggest meeting times and help schedule events directly from your inbox.

5. Suggesting Relevant Content: It recommends files, documents, or information to include in your emails based on the context, making your communications more informative.

6. Adjusting Tone and Clarity: Copilot can modify the tone of your emails—whether you need to be more formal or casual—and improve clarity by refining language and grammar.

7. Prioritizing Emails: It assists in organizing your inbox by prioritizing emails that require immediate attention, helping you focus on what matters most.

By leveraging AI, Microsoft 365 Copilot makes managing emails in Outlook more efficient, allowing you to communicate effectively and focus on high-priority tasks.

Sanebox

I’ve been using Sanebox for years. It automatically learns from the way I filter messages to

•  Overview: Sanebox revamps your email experience by intelligently filtering unimportant emails and enhancing productivity through smart organization.

• Features: Sanebox works seamlessly with your existing email provider to filter unnecessary emails into designated folders, like SaneLater, keeping your inbox clutter-free. It offers daily digests to summarize non-critical emails and help you focus on what's important. Learn more in the features section.

• Flexibility: Sanebox is compatible with all major email clients, ensuring a smooth integration regardless of your platform. Start optimizing your email experience by visiting the Sanebox setup guide.

Shortwave

Shortwave improves email management by seamlessly integrating with Gmail and adding modern, AI-enhanced productivity features to streamline your communication. I’ve been experimenting with the Shortwave email client, it’s impressive, but I am still using other solutions.

• Features: It works hand-in-hand with Gmail, syncing labels, stars, aliases, and filters in real time. Features like Smart Labels and email bundling help you organize and prioritize messages efficiently. Stay focused with AI-driven prioritization and handle large volumes of emails effortlessly with its powerful search and filtering capabilities.

•  Flexibility: Available on web, desktop, and mobile, Shortwave offers apps for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android, supporting Gmail shortcuts and introducing new ones for fast navigation.

Email Butler

Email Butler enhances your email productivity by integrating seamlessly with Apple Mail and Outlook, offering AI-driven features to boost your workflow. The thing I like most about Email Butler is the ability to

•  Features: Email Butler provides features like email tracking, scheduling, and follow-up reminders. It also offers smart email templates and task assignments to streamline your communications and task management. Explore more in the features section.

• Flexibility: Compatible with Apple Mail and Outlook, Email Butler adapts to your email habits with minimal setup. Start using Email Butler by visiting the download page.

Superhuman

Personally, I am not a fan of Superhuman, I think their viral strategy of including the Sent with Superhuman was a little cheesy but it is considered a top email client and has been well-respected for years.

- Key Features: Known for optimizing your email speed, Superhuman offers AI-powered shortcuts and insights to streamline email management, speeding up your interactions with your inbox.

Real-World Scenario 

Consider a busy Monday morning. You open Outlook, and with Copilot, it sorts through 100+ emails, highlighting only the top 20 you need to address immediately. As you respond, Smart Compose helps you craft professional emails in record time, while Focus Assistant keeps distractions at bay.

Implement these AI email tools today and watch your productivity soar. For further insights and tips to enhance your email management, visit the respective links for each tool to explore their features and start maximizing your email efficiency

LEARN TO WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER