The key to getting value from AI is knowing where it can help most. Like any tool, it works best when you use it for the right tasks.
So, how do you know what the right tasks are? Wonderfully, someone – probably AI – has come up with a great list of suggestions, and they all begin with “R”. We call them “The Six Rs”. By measuring your task against these Rs, you’ll quickly be able to see whether it is suitable for AI.
Read on to find out what the six Rs are (no pun intended) and how AI can help you in your specific role.
1. Repeatable
Routine tasks are the ones that come up again and again each day, week or month.
Things like drafting emails, summarising meetings, creating follow-up messages or producing regular reports are ideal examples. Copilot can help you complete these tasks faster by providing a strong first draft, proofreading content or creating summaries, saving time whenever the task appears.
These are the types of tasks that are great candidates for Copilot agents. If you haven't created an agent yet, prepare for a mix of “wow“ and “oops” moments as you quickly discover what works, what doesn't and how a few tweaks can make a big difference.
You will quickly get back the time invested in building agents or refining prompts when you repeat these tasks all the time.
2. Rule-based
Does the task follow a clear process or template?
If you ever catch yourself thinking, "I do this the same way every time," it's probably a great candidate for AI.
This could include creating standard documents, formatting reports or working through a checklist. The clearer the instructions you give Copilot, the more consistent and reliable the output will be.
It is worth spending time tweaking and improving your prompt or agent until you consistently get the results you need.
3. Resource-heavy
Some tasks take a long time, not because they are difficult, but because they involve reading, searching or organising large amounts of information. When details are spread across emails, documents and notes, it can take a lot of time to collate everything.
Copilot can summarise content, pull out key points and provide a clear starting point, helping you get up to speed much faster. It can be incredibly useful when used effectively.
The longer a task takes, the greater the potential time savings. That's why it's worth investing time in experimenting and finding ways to make these tasks more efficient.
4. Risk-prone
We all have tasks where missing a detail or forgetting something could cause serious problems.
Copilot can't replace human judgement, but it can help by summarising key information, suggesting next steps and helping you structure your responses. This makes it easier to stay organised and reduces the chance of important details being missed.
Just remember that AI can occasionally produce incorrect information, so always build in appropriate checks and reviews.
5. Revenue-linked
Anything that supports sales, customer relationships or business growth is worth exploring.
Whether it's preparing for meetings, drafting proposals or writing follow-up emails, Copilot can help you organise your thoughts and create polished content quickly. This frees up more time to focus on customers and opportunities.
6. Role-based
If you have tasks specific to your role, such as drafting social media posts, creating marketing content or answering HR questions, it may be possible to create an agent or develop prompts that help you complete them more efficiently.
It isn't about replacing you; it's about freeing up your time and headspace so you can focus on higher-value work.
What AI Cannot Do
It's also important to recognise where AI shouldn't take the lead. Tasks involving sensitive decisions, personal conversations, complex problem-solving or a high degree of judgement still need a human touch.
However, if your work involves summarising information, drafting content, organising ideas or helping you get started on a task, Copilot can be a great place to begin.
Used in the right way, it's less about replacing people and more about giving them back time to focus on what matters most. For example, you could use AI to generate a content idea, but then you might want to spend time expanding on that creatively, applying individual flair and interest.
In Summary
A useful rule of thumb is to look for tasks that are repeatable, rule-based, resource-heavy, risk-prone, revenue-linked or role-based. The more boxes a task ticks, the stronger the case for AI.
The biggest wins usually come from repetitive, high-volume tasks where AI can save time, improve consistency and reduce manual effort.
The most important thing is to have fun with AI, try different things and see where you can make the biggest wins.
