Blog / 21 October 2026
Get your money back with AI
An AI assistant helped resolve a stalled VPN support request and secure a four-month subscription extension. The useful return was less time and attention spent chasing it.
Anyone working in academia recognizes the challenge: an invoice needs chasing, a reimbursement stalls, or someone requests information already sent. Sorting out these small issues takes time away from lecture prep, student feedback, and research.
Academics frequently context-switch across administrative roles, which can distract from the creative and intellectual work central to higher education. Because dedicated support staff is limited, practical AI workflows present a promising way to lighten administrative loads.
We are moving closer to practical AI-powered assistants for daily work. While adoption requires navigating data security considerations and institutional policies, the potential efficiency gains are substantial.
Consider a recent personal example. While traveling for work and connected to airport Wi-Fi, I noticed unusual background network activity tied to GitHub, prompting me to disconnect immediately to safeguard my device.
To enhance security, I purchased a commercial VPN subscription. However, an old trial account complicated the sign-in process, locking me into multi-factor authentication for an account I could no longer access. After initial attempts with customer support yielded no solution, busy work schedules led me to pause the issue.
Later, I configured an AI assistant workflow to manage the relevant email thread. I instructed the assistant to review the correspondence, follow up with support, and request access restoration along with credit for the lost subscription time, while seeking my approval before taking major actions.
The AI assistant reviewed the correspondence history, gathered the pertinent details, and sent a clear follow-up message. Access was restored the next morning. When the initial credit request was declined because the original ticket had lapsed, the assistant requested my authorization to escalate the issue. A few days later, I received a four-month extension, with minimal manual effort.
While the financial return was modest, a long-standing issue reached a swift resolution. Most of the repetitive coordination happened autonomously in the background.
This illustrates a helpful shift in delegation. Beyond drafting text, an autonomous agent can maintain context, check for updates, and execute routine actions within predefined parameters.
Rather than replacing staff, these tools provide administrative assistance where none previously existed. They offer a practical example of how AI can support human work by streamlining routine chores.
Similar workflows could help track equipment warranties, organize documentation for grant reimbursements, or handle routine administrative tracking across university operations.
As AI delegation becomes more common, its success in academia will depend on reliability, security, and integration with existing tools. The primary goal is reducing administrative friction while supporting academic productivity.
Forward-thinking institutions that support thoughtful AI adoption stand to gain significant improvements in staff well-being and operational efficiency.