How to Use AI to Write an Email | Steps & Examples

AI is changing writing, especially when it comes to everyday communications like emails. AI can help humans work more efficiently, although there are some best practices to bear in mind when learning how to use AI to write an email.

For the above email, I used QuillBot’s AI Chat, which you can try now for free.

How to use AI to write an email

These five steps will show you how to use AI to write an email that aligns with your goal and personal communication style.

1. Choose an AI tool and make sure it’s configured

Due to its immense popularity, ChatGPT may be the first tool you think of when deciding to write an email with AI. However, you may also want to check out some ChatGPT alternatives to decide which tool is the best fit for you. For example:

• QuillBot’s AI Chat doesn’t require you to create an account to use it.
• Google’s Gemini integrates with Gmail.
• Perplexity focuses on citing sources.

Regardless of the tool you choose, check its configurations. You can sometimes customize settings like:

• Your name, occupation, and primary reason for using the tool
• What traits you want the tool to embody (e.g., straight-shooting, witty, thoughtful)
• Your desired tone for content (e.g., formal, chatty, courteous)
• Whether or not you want it to reference saved memory
• Privacy concerns (e.g., data storage, notifications, voice detection)
• Integrated apps

2. Understand how AI works

If you want to use AI to write an email, understanding how it works can help you get better results. Most of the AIs you would use to write an email are generative AI and chatbots. These terms are similar but not the same.

In short, generative AI generates original content. Generative AI uses technologies called machine learning and natural language processing to essentially predict what words should come next after a user submits a prompt.

“Chatbot,” on the other hand, refers to AI that is conversational. Many AIs, like AI Chat or ChatGPT, combine these technologies. Others, like Siri or Alexa, are chatbots but not generative; you can have a conversation with them, but they do not generate original content.

3. Have a clear goal in mind

Before using any AI tool, have a clear goal in mind for your email. Consider:

• Who are you writing (or replying) to?
• What type of email are you writing?
• What’s the key message you want to send?
• What tone do you want to use?

Maybe you want to write a thank you email after an interview, or you want to craft an out-of-office message to automatically reply to any emails you receive while on vacation. You might want to introduce yourself in an email to a contact you met at a networking event or prepare a bulk invitation for a birthday party.

Have a clear reason why you want to use AI to write an email before you actually start to write it.

4. Craft your prompt

AI content is only as good as your prompt. Think of the prompt as your instructions for AI. The more precise it is, the more closely AI’s output will match your goal.

When crafting your prompt, you should:

• Identify the recipient
• State the purpose of the email clearly
• Include any relevant context or details
• Specify the desired tone and style

5. Review and polish AI’s email

Before sending any email created by AI, make sure you review it for:

• Grammar and spelling
• Factual accuracy
• Tone and style
• Clarity of the message
• Appropriate length

When polishing your email, know how to make AI sound more human. For example:

• Vary sentence length.
• Remove overused structures (e.g., em dashes).
• Edit words that do not naturally fit together (e.g., “all our plants are kindly grown”).
• Use a humanizer tool to humanize AI output.

Writing an AI email response

When replying to an email, copy the original message into your AI tool for context. Then, give the AI a clear prompt about how to reply. A few example prompts are:

• Write a short reply saying I’ll be out of office on those dates.
• Confirm receipt of the documents mentioned.
• Decline the request while maintaining a positive tone.
• Politely ask for clarification about what they are requesting.
• Reply that I am not interested. Keep the tone neutral but respectful.

The benefits of using AI to write an email

There are various benefits when you use AI to write an email. A few of them are:

• Time efficiency: You can generate drafts in seconds, including bulk emails to use for various recipients.
• Automatic spelling and grammar check: While it’s always good to review this, AI rarely makes mistakes with spelling and grammar.
• Consistent messaging: AI can help maintain consistency in tone, branding, and structure, which is especially useful for businesses that rely on clear, standardized communication.
• Sentiment analysis: AI can analyze and adjust the tone of your email (making it more formal, friendlier, more assertive, etc.). This is helpful in emotionally sensitive or high-stakes communication.
• Thread summaries: AI can summarize long email threads so you don’t have to reread them. This saves time and helps you respond more effectively.
• Data extraction: With AI’s help, you can quickly identify and extract dates, deadlines, addresses, figures, or other data points.
• Translations: If you have to communicate with someone in another language, AI can offer on-the-spot translations.

Frequently asked questions about AI ethics

How can you tell an email may have been written using generative AI?

You can tell an email may have been written using generative AI by looking for these telltale signs:

• Overly formal, generic, or repetitive language
• Lack of personalization
• Lack of specific details or personal experiences
• Sentence length that doesn’t vary

Learning how to use AI to write an email can also help you spot these signs.

You can also use QuillBot’s AI Detector to analyze an email’s likelihood of having been written with AI.