Why Work Still Feels Harder Than It Should and How AI Can Help

Why Work Still Feels Harder Than It Should and How AI Can Help

Work is supposed to move ideas forward. Yet for many teams, a growing part of the day is spent preparing to work instead of doing the work itself.

At The Brink Agency, we experienced this ourselves. Important information was spread across emails, meeting notes, documents and different platforms. Administrative tasks interrupted the day, while switching between tools made it difficult to maintain focus.

That led us to a simple question: why does work still feel harder than it should?

The pattern was clear. Teams spend too much time searching for information, access to systems creates bottlenecks, and routine tasks take attention away from work requiring creativity, expertise and judgement. The problem was not a lack of intelligence. It was a lack of structure.

Research reflects this experience. Asana found that 58% of the working day is spent on “work about work”: searching for information, coordinating tasks and switching between tools. Research from UC Irvine also suggests it can take around 23 minutes to regain focus after an interruption. Together, these inefficiencies leave far less time for focused, meaningful work.

From a shared frustration to a new platform

We created KAI to bring that structure back.

KAI is an AI workplace assistant that connects the information and tools a company already uses. Instead of searching separately through emails, meetings, documents and internal systems, people can ask KAI what they need. It can retrieve information, find decisions in meeting transcripts, draft replies, schedule meetings and complete recurring administrative tasks.

The goal is not to introduce another tool that demands attention. KAI works as a useful layer across the platforms already part of the working day, helping teams reduce searching, switching and repetitive work.

As Simon Koop, Co-founder of The Brink Agency, puts it: “I really want to change how we work and give people time back. Just think about it: what if you never had to ask for the Wi-Fi password again, search for something you know is somewhere, or type ‘Dear…’ at the start of another email? They’re tiny things, but add them all up. That’s the change I want KAI to make.”

Combining design and engineering

To turn the idea into a secure and scalable product, we partnered with Capisoft.

The Brink brought product strategy, user experience, branding and design, while Capisoft contributed its expertise in secure, scalable SaaS and AI platforms. Together, we created KAI to connect complex workplace systems in a way that feels clear, intuitive and trustworthy for everyday use.

More than a standalone chatbot

A standard AI chatbot usually operates in isolation, responding to the information a user provides at that moment. KAI is different. It works as a platform layer across workplace tools, including Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.

KAI can work with the information that already shapes an organisation’s day while respecting existing permissions. Role-based access controls allow companies to determine who can access what, down to team and individual level.

Privacy and security have been central to its development. KAI was developed in Amsterdam and is hosted within the European Union. Corporate data remains within the EU, with GDPR compliance, encryption and access management built into the platform.

More space for meaningful work

KAI started with a problem we recognised in our own working day, but it affects companies and teams everywhere: knowledge is fragmented, and routine tasks repeatedly interrupt progress.

By reducing time spent searching, switching between tools and completing repetitive tasks, KAI can give people approximately five hours back each week. That means more time for the work requiring creativity, expertise and human judgement.

That is why we created KAI: to connect information, people and actions, and create more space for the work that matters.

Discover KAI