How to draft letters and notes with AI

Use an AI assistant to produce first drafts of letters, replies and file notes in minutes, while keeping control of the content and the responsibility.

What AI is good for here

Much of an officer's day goes into drafting: replies to letters and references, notes for the file, office orders, minutes, briefs for senior officers. An AI assistant can produce a clean first draft of most of these in under a minute. You still decide what the letter says. AI saves you the blank page and the typing.

Before you start: two rules

Never paste classified or personal information into a public chatbot. Anything marked Secret, Confidential or Restricted and any citizen's personal details (names with CNIC numbers, addresses, medical or financial information), stay out. Use only tools your department has approved for official data and follow its information security instructions. See data leakage.
You remain responsible. A letter that goes out under your signature is your letter, whoever drafted it. AI does not carry accountability; you do.

Step by step

Describe the situation without sensitive details. Replace names and numbers with placeholders: "[Applicant]", "[Department]", "[date]".
Say what you want, precisely. Type of document, who it is for, the decision or message, tone and length.
Give the structure you need. If your office has a standard format (reference number, subject line, paragraphs, signature block), say so or paste a blank template.
Read the draft line by line. Check every fact, figure, date and rule cited. AI can invent rules and references that sound real. See hallucination.
Put the real details back in yourself and adjust the tone to your office's style.

Example instructions

Draft a polite official reply to a citizen who asked about the status of their pension case. Say the case has been forwarded to the Accounts Office on [date] and they will be informed within 30 days. Formal tone, under 150 words, standard Pakistani government letter format with placeholders for reference number and signature.

Turn these rough points into a short note for the file, addressed to the Deputy Secretary, recommending approval: [points]. Keep it under 200 words, numbered paragraphs, neutral tone.

Rewrite this paragraph in plain English so a member of the public can understand it, without changing its meaning: [paragraph].

Getting better results

Give examples. Paste a past letter (with sensitive details removed) and ask for the new one in the same style.
Ask for options. "Give me three versions: formal, brief and very simple."
Iterate. "Shorter." "More polite." "Remove the second paragraph." Small follow-up instructions work well.
Ask it to check you. "List any points in my draft that are unclear or might be misread."

What not to use it for

Final legal opinions, financial sanctions or disciplinary findings
Quoting rules, notifications or case law you have not checked in the original
Anything where the facts are confidential and no approved tool is available

AI makes a good junior drafter. Treat its work the way you would treat a new assistant's: useful, fast and always checked before signing.