Apprehension that AI will replace the role of secretaries is fallacious, said many associated with the profession for decades.

Technology can aid but cannot replace human touch and, hence, it is not a dying profession but something that requires an individual upgrade ones skills, be organised and stay abreast of technology, many of them said.

The Indian Association of Secretaries and Administrative Professionals (IASAP), West Bengal chapter, celebrated its 40th anniversary on Sunday.

“People are calling it a dying profession because they say artificial intelligence can make presentations or write letters, but that is not enough because AI doesn’t have the human touch. AI can get you the procedures and help in making presentations,
but it is an individual who would understand the company’s USP and build on that,” said June Sabita Coelho, chairperson, IASAP, West Bengal chapter, and executive secretary to the CEO of Titagarh Rail Systems.

Coelho is hands-on with the latest in technology and uses apps to make posters and presentations. “But they are tools that aid me and, at the end of the day, it is my presentation and I am accountable for it,” she said.

Coelho said “people right at the top” required secretaries.

“They have little time to do follow-ups, and they are looking after multiple things simultaneously. Naturally, the secretary has to be hands-on with what is happening in each of the companies her boss is dealing with, keep a mental note and do regular follow-ups,” she said.

The work of a secretary is not just to schedule appointments but interact, to speak on behalf of the company they are representing, she said.

“If it were only about technology, a website would serve all the purposes. But when certain companies want to invest in your company, they want to know more about it from us and understand the employee-boss-management equation,” said Parna Mookherjee, a senior member of the association and manager to a clinical psychologist.

IASAP was born in 1985 to guide young people in the profession. The association is the representative institute of lady secretaries and administrative professionals, both in the public and private sectors. The association has chapters in Mumbai, Tamil Nadu, New Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Bengal with over 1,600 members.

A key moment of the celebrations on Sunday was the felicitation of members associated with the association for 40 years.

“It was formed by a group of us who were personal secretaries and executive assistants to senior people. Around that time, many of the big commercial companies and their senior directors, managing directors, and chairmen had personal secretaries. We formed an association to help the younger secretaries develop social and interpersonal skills and learn how to use their skills,” said Iti Misra, who was in the profession for five years and eventually joined a sales and marketing position in another company.

In the past 40 years, the profession has evolved, and those in it have gone through “radical change”, several speakers said.

From shorthand to typewriters, electronic typewriters, personal computers, and now handheld devices — the work is at their fingertips and goes on around the clock.

Technology has made it easy, but there are challenges, too.

“Back in the day, we would send a letter and wait for a response for at least 10 days. Now, the response has to be there in minutes. On email, one cannot even miss it,” said Misra, now 85.

Chandrani Dey, in the profession for 17 years, said: “We have to be prompt with all kinds of information relevant to the office and have to be on our toes.”