How Amazon leaders use AI: Life hacks from top executives

Kelly MacLean, Vice President, Amazon Ads

In our house, with two busy professionals, three kids, and a dog… the family calendar can feel like its own full-time job. I started experimenting with AI as a simple way to bring order to it-not as anything fancy, just a lightweight "AI family operating system" that thinks through logistics and daily tasks much like a human chief of staff. I connect an AI assistant to our mix of calendars and apps-work, school, sports, piano lessons, Kumon, travel-and it turns everything into one clear weekly brief, providing daily updates, recommendations, and proactive multi-month views. It also suggests exercise windows, specific workouts, meal planning, and recipes based on the day.

Every Sunday it summarizes the week, flags conflicts before I ever see them, and then offers daily, small adjustments that help us avoid scrambling. It also includes smart reminders: snack duty, the right jersey colors, game gear, school assignments, when to leave based on traffic, and looks ahead to things like weather or a run of late nights.

I haven't perfected it, but offloading that mental juggle means more space for the moments that matter. Honestly, it almost feels a little magical.