AI & Scheduling Assistants: How Artificial Intelligence Could Disrupt the Scheduling Industry

The possibilities of AI scheduling are extremely enticing and with the rise of automation and machine learning set to disrupt and innovate like never before, it really is an open frontier of opportunity and imagination. AI scheduling is yet to take off on a global scale, but there are moves being made to secure AI schedulers and AI calendars as the next big step in the way we conduct and arrange meetings with one another. Let’s take a look at some hypotheticals around how AI scheduling software can transform the appointment scheduling industry and change the way we interact with our calendars. 

The rise of artificial intelligence in industry

Artificial Intelligence went from being a staple plot device used in an array of science fiction texts to becoming a very urgent reality. This shiny new creature borne from the depths of the tech industry’s relentless pursuit of disruption and innovation has sparked global interest and attention and it is pretty safe to say that it is not going anywhere, anytime soon. 

While AI has constantly been a subject of fascination in popular culture and media, the recent sway towards widespread adoption of AI as both a concept and a tool marks a very interesting point in the history of digital advancement. 

Technological progress, particularly as it pertains to computing power and data storage, has enabled the development of a markedly more sophisticated and intricate series of algorithms that now comprise our contemporary understanding of artificial intelligence. These systems are now able to access titanic reams of information and data in seconds, which in turn means that we have that information at our disposal too. 

As artificial intelligence-based systems and applications became integrated with consumer devices, so too did its proliferation as an everyday addition to people’s digital activities. Moms are using Chat GPT to write their invites, students are using generative script to complete assignments and professionals are flocking to both to get quick answers on complex questions that are usually buried under SEO-tainted results on search engines. 

AI has also proven to be an extremely competitive (and competent) disruptor of industry, as major advancements across marketing, finance, manufacturing, and healthcare prove that no sector is safe from the novelty and unprecedented change this new technological development continues to bring forth. 

As we bear witness to the advent of artificial intelligence and how it can impact, assist or inform our digital experiences going forward, let’s explore its potential impact on scheduling and what we can expect from our, suddenly very lively, schedules and calendars. 

Scheduling and AI assistants 

The potential impact of AI and scheduling cannot be overstated. Meeting or calendar scheduling is to many of us a daily activity that is under a constant process of optimization and improvement. It can usually be said that all tasks that bear repeating have a greater potential to be reconfigured and improved for later undertakings, and scheduling is no different. 

Perhaps the next step for AI-powered scheduling lies in little to no scheduling at all. Maybe we get to a point where the calendar interface becomes irrelevant and all scheduling is done without our inputs. 

One thing that seems a very likely development in the realm of AI and scheduling lies with the concept of automation. Automation as we understand it today is largely centered around reducing the need for manual inputs and reducing mundane tasks and redundancies to free up alternative uses for human labor. 

With the rise of AI-assisted automated scheduling, we can expect to see an analytical layer added to the automated scheduling process where participants’ calendars, availability and preferences are taken into consideration and executed accordingly, with little to no need for human intervention at all. 

Thus we can look at the implementation of AI-based scheduling tools as a way to shorten processes and expedite getting to the point, and who can deny the value in that. We can expect the advent of AI schedulers and meeting tools to drastically reduce the amount of human-centric steps required to complete or fulfill complex actions, opening up the possibility for time better spent elsewhere. 

Artificial intelligence-powered scheduling infrastructures could also organize calendars and booking slots with time optimization in mind, pulling data from project management and time tracking software to make decisions on behalf of the organization’s capacity and the individual’s productivity. 

This would not only mean a more dedicated and focused approach to meetings, as in order for them to be approved you have to have the adequate bandwidth to do so, but it can also help mitigate much of the awkwardness that comes with having to reschedule or postpone pending engagements. 

Speaking of rescheduling, that will largely also be handled by your AI-powered scheduling interface with the new addition to your workflow, perhaps even going so far as to make decisions on your behalf about potential conflicts and inopportune meeting times. 

It’s safe to say that we’re far away from seeing the extent of how much artificial intelligence will permeate across industry, use cases and applications. Although there is much to be excited about by way of benefit and ease of use, there is also cause for concern. Is our pursuit of automation and convenience leading us down a path that will eventually lead to our own redundancy or is this a way to propel us into the future?

What are AI scheduling assistants

The desire to meet is a crucial step in launching the possibility of an engagement. When expressing your intention to do so, there are various facets to the potential meeting that need to be taken into consideration and these need to be presented in order to successfully attend to the needs and preferences of the person you’re setting up time with. 

Usually, by presenting people with meeting options and allowing them to designate the kind of interaction they are willing to do is a manual step in your meeting journey process. With the advent of AI schedulers and AI assistants, we can expect to see even these rudimentary, yet essential, tasks being performed completely separately from our own inputs. Our preferences and pre-existing behaviors will be accommodated for and taken into consideration when scheduling time with others. 

AI scheduling assistants or AI powered scheduling tools are AI-based software applications that are designed to streamline, automate and manage activities pertaining to calendars and time management that would usually only be achievable through laborious human intervention. 

AI scheduling assistants will naturally be extremely adept at automated appointment scheduling and all of the facets surrounding it. Think of them as Digital Assistants 2.0 who are able to expertly navigate and configure your calendar according to relevant criteria. That is not all they will be capable of though, so let’s take a look at what makes AI scheduling assistants so revolutionary.

AI scheduling assistant use natural language interactions

AI scheduling assistants are designed to understand and respond to natural language inputs, commands and queries which makes them very capable of handling an assortment of requests and prompts. Users of AI scheduling assistants can interact with them through chat-based interfaces, voice commands and others to make their scheduling process more intuitive and easy to use. 

AI scheduling assistant with seamless calendar integrations

A good AI scheduling assistant integrates with all of your extant calendars and scheduling infrastructures to ensure that all information is available and put to use. This means that you no longer have to hop between them to try and ascertain where and when your next appointment is. 

AI scheduling assistant give personalized recommendations

AI scheduling assistants can offer personalized recommendations and tips based on your preferences so you can make informed decisions and tackle any calendar-related hiccups with ease. Your behavior and history with your AI scheduling assistant also forms the basis of later learning and ongoing optimization, developing and growing in tandem for a more tailored experience. 

Expert notification management by AI scheduling assistants

AI scheduling assistants can send automated reminders and notifications  to participants about upcoming events, reducing the risk of missed appointments and improving punctuality.

AI scheduling assistant reduce administrative burdens

AI scheduling assistants are set to become an integral part of the workplace of the future. Any cost or time saving implementation that allows for human efforts better spent elsewhere should always be considered. If you think about it, the mundane processes we concoct for ourselves have never been the truest manifestation of our human potential so perhaps the next chapter of industrial development sees automated solutions relieve that burden so that we can focus on the things that really matter. 

Artificial intelligence-powered scheduling at OnceHub

At OnceHub, we’re always looking for new and innovative ways to expand and improve the way we schedule time with others. It’s an ongoing effort that is iterative and illuminating, and since our inception we’ve made great strides in developing a program that is intuitive and intricate in its capabilities. 

Naturally, AI is a part of the conversation regarding the next steps in this ongoing process, and we’re hard at work fleshing out how we can implement artificial intelligence and machine learning into your scheduling infrastructure that works for you and upgrades your calendar across the spectrum of engagement. 

If you're interested in how AI can improve engagements with your business, create a OnceHub account and then sign up to our feedback program and you could be invited to early access to AI features.