Remember when email was revolutionary? When the ability to send a message to anyone in the world with an internet connection felt like magic? Well, email is having its renaissance moment—and this time, it's not just connecting humans to humans, but humans to systems.
The Original Natural Language Interface
Before chatbots and voice assistants, there was email. Email has always been a natural language interface—you write what you want in plain English (or your language of choice), hit send, and someone on the other end interprets and acts on it.
"Please order more toner for the printer." "Can you send me the Q1 sales report?" "Let's reschedule tomorrow's meeting to Friday."
Sound familiar? We've been using natural language to get things done via email for decades. The only difference was the "system" on the other end was human.
The Great Login Liberation
How many times have you thought: "I just need to update one field in this record, but now I have to remember my password, navigate through six screens, and figure out which button updates this specific data point"?
Cue collective sigh of frustration.
What if you could just... email it?
"Hey System, please update the delivery date for order #12345 to next Tuesday."
Done. No logins. No navigation. No hunting for the right button. Just a simple email.
Email: The Gateway to AI Systems
Let's be honest—getting people to adopt new technology is complex. But email? Everyone already knows how to use it.
We're creating a familiar entry point for advanced systems by allowing them to ingest and process emails. Users don't have to learn anything new, but suddenly interact with AI systems without even realizing it.
"I've been using AI? But I was just sending emails like I always do!"
Exactly.
The Multi-Modal Future
The beauty of this approach isn't about replacing other interfaces—it's about options. Need to update 500 records? Use the GUI or API. Want to have a detailed conversation with the system? Try the built-in chat interface. Just need to quickly add a note to a customer record while you're on your phone? Fire off an email.
Systems should meet users where they are, not force users to come to them. Sometimes that's a sleek interface, sometimes code, and sometimes a simple email sent from your phone during a meeting.
Freedom from Data Entry Tasks
How much of your workday is spent manually transferring information from one place to another? Email-to-system interaction could significantly reduce this tedious work.
Received a client email with updated contact information? Forward it to your system with "update contact info for Acme Corp" and let the AI handle the rest. No copy-paste. No tab-switching. Just efficiency.
The Value Proposition
Once data is in your system, regardless of how it got there, it creates value. It can be analyzed, acted upon, and leveraged. By lowering the barrier to entry with email integration, we increase the flow of data into our systems, making those systems more valuable.
Plus, when people realize they can interact with systems via email, they're more likely to explore other interface options as their comfort level grows.
The Bottom Line
Email isn't just making a comeback—it never really left. As we've explored newer interfaces, email has remained a constant, and now we're recognizing its potential as an effective bridge between humans and AI systems.
So, the next time you design a system, consider adding email to your interface options. Your users will thank you—probably via email.
.png)
.png)
.png)
