How CEOs are using AI agents to free up thinking time

An FT report on AI and leadership finds more chief executives handing routine work to AI agents: compiling board papers, condensing research and tracking whether their time goes on the right things. Satya Nadella says he runs at least 10 custom Copilot agents. Duco's Christian Nentwich built a "critic agent" that pulls him back on track, AlixPartners' Rob Hornby uses AI to challenge his drafts, and Board Intelligence's Pippa Begg sometimes sends staff an AI avatar video instead of an email.

Why it mattersThe useful pattern isn't one all-knowing assistant. It's several narrow agents, each doing one job you already do by hand, such as a meeting brief, a summary of the week or a critique of your draft. Keep the judgement and the first draft yours. Several of the CEOs warn that AI still makes up citations, and some refuse to let an avatar speak for them.

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