Artificial intelligence (AI) is often framed solely as a productivity tool for education leaders. While it does help in that capacity, I believe we are measuring AI’s value against the wrong metric.

School leaders do not simply face a shortage of time. We are facing a shortage of uninterrupted attention to our tasks at hand. Each day brings a relentless cycle of fragmented focus, decision fatigue, compliance demands and communication priorities that quietly erode the mental space needed for meaningful work – instructional leadership, relationship building and strategic systems thinking.

As a principal in a large Virginia school division (district), I have found that AI’s greatest benefit is not writing emails faster or summarizing meetings. It is reducing cognitive load so I can be more present in classrooms, coach leaders more intentionally and make better decisions when they matter most. 

My Commute as a Sounding Board

Every morning, I commute approximately one hour each way to and from school. Before I began using AI, that time was divided between listening to a streaming service, mentally replaying difficult conversations and trying to remember the priorities waiting for me when I arrived. The drive was full, but it was not always reflective or productive.

Now, when conditions allow and I can use hands-free technology safely, I use ChatGPT’s voice conversation feature to turn part of my commute into a structured space for reflection and preparation. On the way to school, I might talk through the day’s priorities, anticipate a challenging conversation or identify questions to consider before a meeting. On the way home, I might process a difficult interaction, examine what went well and identify one next step for the following day. 

To get the most out of these conversations, I prompt ChatGPT to draw on key leadership frameworks such as Courageous Conversations, Cognitive Coaching and Deloitte’s Courageous Principals — acting as a thought partner to refine my approach. For example, before a sensitive staff discussion, I might prompt: “Act as a cognitive coach grounded in Courageous Conversations principles. Help me outline open-ended questions to address performance concerns while maintaining trust.” 

On the return drive, I might ask: “Help me process today's leadership meeting using Deloitte's Courageous Principals lens. What blind spots should I reflect on, and what key follow-up action should I prioritize for tomorrow?”

The value is not that ChatGPT gives me a perfect answer. Speaking aloud to a responsive thought partner helps me slow down and organize my thinking before I walk through the school doors. During the school day, I use ChatGPT selectively to synthesize information, process experiences and coach my thinking between competing responsibilities. After a meeting or classroom visit, I can drop in a few nonconfidential notes to identify patterns in teacher or student behavior, clarify next steps or prepare for a follow-up conversation.

I also use Gemini for image creation and custom Gems to streamline walk-through feedback. Because my school is under a Comprehensive Support and Improvement order, providing immediate, actionable insights following daily classroom and grade-level visits is essential.

These AI tools do not replace the human coaching relationships I am fortunate to have; they supplement them. Trusted colleagues and coaches offer professional judgment, context, challenge and care. Conversational AI simply provides a low-stakes sounding board between formal coaching sessions, helping me return to those human relationships more centered.

To be clear, I never input confidential student or personnel information into AI. I use these tools strictly in ways that protect privacy, ensure accuracy and maintain human accountability. Establishing these guardrails helped me transition from using AI merely as a personal productivity aid to leveraging it to support stronger routines and shared learning across our leadership team. 

From Weekly Execution to Universal Design

As I became more comfortable using AI every day as a principal, I moved from one-time prompts to repeatable workflows. In leadership, those tasks include drafting communications, synthesizing evidence, organizing meeting notes, preparing feedback and differentiating messages for different audiences. Instead of asking AI to complete an isolated task, I am building systems around the work that takes a significant cognitive load.

For my weekly work, I rely on custom AI projects to organize recurring materials, think through priorities and create first-pass summaries that I can review and refine. 

One of the most transformative shifts has been how I approach communication using tools such as Gemini Notebook. Weekly principal messages can become text-heavy and hard for busy staff members to digest. To practice what we teach about Universal Design for Learning, I use Gemini Notebook to transform my messages into podcast-style audio overviews. Instead of receiving only a dense memo, staff members have access to a quick, 90-second to two-minute overview.

This gives staff another way to engage with important information. It also reminds me that communication is not complete simply because information has been sent. Communication is successful when people can access, understand and use what they receive.

Using AI with the evidence and documents in front of me has also been valuable when making leadership decisions. Rather than asking for generic advice, I can ask for work-aligned insight by providing approved materials such as school improvement documents, assessment summaries, staff feedback, observation notes or professional learning resources. AI can help identify patterns, gaps, contradictions and questions that require further investigation.

This helps me show up to leadership meetings with a clearer picture of the evidence and better questions for my team. The decisions about what to do next still belong to me and to the people closest to the work. AI can organize the evidence, but it cannot replace professional knowledge, context or accountability.

From Individual Experimentation to Shared Professional Learning 

My school division’s investment in artificial intelligence has moved my use from private experimentation to shared professional learning. Through professional learning, partnerships and access to approved tools, I have developed workflows that prioritize data privacy, protection and responsible use. 

During our school’s leadership kickoff session, “AI in Action 201: Custom Gems, Projects, and Powerful Learning Design,” I learned workflows that I have adapted to improve my day-to-day messaging, communication and leadership routines. I have also shared these workflows with my principal peers so they can consider how similar tools might support their own practice and leadership.

As a lead learner, I am working to model thoughtful and responsible AI use for my assistant principals and leadership team, with the goal of eventually helping teachers and students use AI as a tool for reflection, creativity and learning. The division’s approach has helped me think more clearly about guardrails: using division-supported tools and approved environments, protecting confidential information, verifying AI-generated content and centering professional judgment and human accountability.

The value of these AI workflows is not that they make leadership less demanding. Schools are still complex, human organizations, and the most important work cannot be automated. The difference is that they bring me greater clarity. When AI helps me organize competing priorities, synthesize information or prepare for a difficult conversation, I can listen more carefully, notice who has not spoken in a discussion and respond with greater patience.

That additional capacity changes what people experience from me as their school leader. Staff members see a leader who is more prepared and present in meetings. Students see a principal who can focus more fully during walk-throughs, classroom visits and school events. Families see a leader who has more patience and attention for their questions and concerns.

Making Space for More Human Leadership 

As I have grown in my AI journey, my perspective has shifted. I am no longer looking at AI to determine how many minutes it can cut from my task list. I am asking: How can I use it so I can invest more deeply in relationships, empowerment and presence?

Using AI requires discipline. Responsible AI use is not about surrendering judgment to a tool. It is about using the tool to create more space for judgment.

When AI helps offload low-value administrative friction, we reclaim the mental bandwidth required to notice the small human elements. We regain the energy to lean into empathy, walk the hallways with our eyes up and truly listen to the staff, students and families we serve.

The next time we evaluate a new tool or workflow, let us do more than ask what administrative task it can automate. Let us also ask what relationship it can protect, what decision it can help us consider more carefully and what kind of leadership it makes possible.

The scarce resource in school leadership is not simply time; it is attention. It is the ability to be fully present for the people and decisions that matter most. 

If AI can help us make better use of our time and reduce the cognitive load that competes for our attention, then its greatest contribution is not greater efficiency; it is more present, human leadership.