Artificial intelligence systems that access calendars, emails, documents and financial records are reshaping how people work by handling tasks and managing schedules automatically. Yet privacy experts are raising alarms about the risks these same capabilities pose to users.
A new wave of AI assistants is moving far beyond simple chatbots that answer questions. Technology firms are now building agentic AI—systems that link to multiple apps, understand context across them, and act on users' behalf by booking meetings, summarising documents, drafting emails, paying bills and flagging deadlines.
Major tech companies have accelerated this shift. Google rolled out Gemini, Microsoft expanded Copilot and OpenAI pushed ChatGPT further, all connecting deeply with productivity and business software.
Industry analysts see contextual AI as poised to reshape workplace software over the next decade. McKinsey estimates generative AI could add between $2.6 trillion and $4.4 trillion annually to global economic output, with knowledge work seeing the biggest gains.
PwC projects AI could contribute up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030 through improved productivity and efficiency.
Tolu Adesina, CEO of Zirro, said linking AI to calendars, emails, documents and financial tools could rank among the biggest productivity advances in years. "It can organise schedules, draft emails, summarise information, surface relevant context and help people stay on top of both work and personal tasks," he said.
But he warned that convenience carries a hidden cost. "The more we outsource thinking to AI, the more we risk outsourcing our own agency.
The process of creating, researching and even building relationships is where much of human learning happens," Adesina told reporters.
He explained the stakes plainly. "If AI drafts every email, summarises every document and tells you everything you need to know before a meeting, you gain efficiency but lose part of the thinking process."
There's a critical difference between researching information yourself and trusting an AI summary, he noted. "One reflects understanding built through research; the other is often all you know," he said.
Success with AI will hinge on more than raw performance, Adesina added. Users must retain control over what data they share and trust that companies handle it securely and openly.
"As AI becomes more deeply integrated into our lives, we have to be intentional about ensuring it augments human intelligence rather than replacing it. Wider adoption will depend on whether users remain in control of what information they share and whether they can trust that their data is being handled securely and transparently," he said.
Oluwajuwon Omotayo, founder of compliance technology firm Comply54, emphasized that AI assistants deliver their greatest value when they respect privacy boundaries and regulatory requirements.
