Carrie AI

Human vs AI Executive Assistants: A Perspective on Cost And More

As AI executive assistants become more common, many find themselves asking the question:

Should I hire a human EA, or use an AI one?

Human and AI executive assistants operate on fundamentally different cost structures, ramp-up curves, and strengths. For some roles and stages, a human EA is the right answer. For others, AI offers a faster and more scalable form of leverage.

1. Good for Different Things

Human EAs excel at:

  • Ambiguous, high-context decisions

  • Navigating sensitive internal matters

  • Managing stakeholder relationships

A human executive assistant makes sense when you need judgment-heavy decision support and are looking to have a long-term right hand.

But many people don’t need all of that — they just need the logistics gone.

Here’s where AI EAs shine.

AI EAs excel at:

  • Scheduling and rescheduling

  • Time zone coordination

  • High-volume email threads

  • Enforcing preferences consistently

  • Never dropping follow-ups

This is the kind of operational work that compounds quietly: constant, interrupt-driven, and attention-draining — and exactly where AI delivers the most leverage.

2. Fundamentally Different Pricing Models

Human executive assistants are priced on time and availability.

You pay for:

  • Hours worked

  • Coverage windows

  • Seniority and experience

Their limitations:

  • Capacity-constrained

  • Not available 24/7

  • Slow to scale as volume increases

AI executive assistants flip that model.

You’re not paying for availability — AI is always on.

They are priced on outcomes and usage.

You’re paying for:

  • Workflows handled

  • Volume of input and output

  • Completed work

AI is capable of absorbing high-volume, round-the-clock coordination without linear cost increases.

This makes AI EAs ideal for founders, operators, and teams drowning in back-and-forth.

3. Consider Hiring and Ramp-Up Time

Hiring a human EA typically involves a multi-week recruiting process, followed by onboarding and ramp-up time before full effectiveness. Even experienced EAs need time to learn an executive’s preferences, stakeholders, communication style, and internal processes.

AI EAs, once configured, can begin executing defined workflows immediately, applying rules and preferences consistently from the start. This makes AI a lower-latency, lower-commitment option for handling operational tasks, particularly when speed, volume, and repeatability matter.

A Comparison Summary

Human Executive Assistant AI Executive Assistant
Annual cost $100k–$120k+ all-in Low 4-figure (or less)
Hiring time Weeks to months None
Ramp-up period Yes None
Availability Business hours 24/7
Marginal cost per task High Near zero
Scalability One calendar Unlimited threads
Employment risk Yes None

The choice comes down to the question of what type of work you are trying to offload, and what model is best suited to handle it.

Where Carrie Fits In

The strongest AI EAs focus on a narrow workflow — and execute it exceptionally well.

Carrie is an AI EA built specifically for scheduling.

She lives in your inbox. Just CC her.

Carrie:

  • Negotiates availability on your behalf

  • Handles time zones and rescheduling

  • Protects buffers and prep time

  • Completes the workflow end-to-end

If scheduling is taking more attention than it deserves, Carrie is designed to take it off your plate.

👉 Try Carrie at getcarrie.com

Ready to schedule without the back-and-forth?

Try Carrie today for a few meetings. It's free to get started.