Meet your new office assistant: AI

Have you ever cried out in frustration because a work memo you’ve been tasked with writing simply refuses to get done? What if we told you that soon it could, quite literally, write itself?

What happened: Cult-favourite note-taking platform Notion launched a private alpha test for its newest product, Notion AI, which can generate written content with a single prompt.

  • Notion AI is super simple to use. Pick what kind of content you want (options include blog post, sales e-mail, to-do list, etc.) and type in what you want it to be about.
     
  • The posts generated aren’t finished products (they often have errors and lack a certain human je ne sais quoi) but offer a starting point that saves lots of time.

Zoom out: Notion is far from the only company staking its claim in the emerging generative AI space. It will compete with prominent AI writing players like Jasper (which recently raised US$125 million in funding) and Google’s recently released Wordcraft product. 

Why it matters: AI tools are on track to become a normal part of daily work life, right alongside printers, photocopiers, and virtual meetings that really could've been e-mails. 

  • “Now is the moment that generative AI goes from a nifty science project to a useful consumer tool.” Notion CEO Ivan Zhao told The Verge.
     
  • As generative AI improves, it has almost limitless potential beyond copywriting, with use cases as varied as legal research, medical administration, and drafting laws. 

Yes, but: These AI wordsmiths need a lot of data to work. Highly personalized products for companies will require tonnes of internal information, raising tonnes more privacy concerns.   

What’s next: You can join the waitlist for Notion AI now. We just hope they don’t add a “quick and fun Canadian business newsletter” option—or yours truly might be out of work.