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I have authored nearly 50 articles on A.I. since late 2022, most of them here, the rest in other publications, and the areas they’ve covered have been: technical, business, ethical, cultural, strategic, and educational.
Now, given that the world knows how fast A.I. is moving and that it will be, as I predicted, the biggest transformation in all three million years of human history, it’s time to evaluate the key pressing issue: determining what challenges A.I. poses to leaders as they undertake the most awesome responsibility of their careers: leading us through the wilderness experience to an A.I. world.
There’s little research to be done on this issue, as it is so new, and there are certainly no valid case studies yet. This essay, then, is purely an exercise in “If-Then” thinking: if this happens, then what will follow; if we do this, then what will we have to do next; and so on. Much depends on intuition, hunch and speculation, but leaders are supposed to be good at that – and not afraid of it. So here, as I see it, are 10 leadership challenges for an A.I. world.
1. Understanding – and then implementing – A.I.
Many leaders have articulated their difficulty in understanding the complexities of the technology as well as the social and organizational ramifications. But no one person can. This is where a great leader assembles a great team that collectively understands and works smoothly and seamlessly to build their new world order.
2. Accepting the ethical and social implications
A.I. brings with it critical ethical questions: intellectual property, biases in data and algorithms, privacy, potential job displacement (already happening). Leaders must navigate these issues while ensuring that A.I. is developed and deployed responsibly. All this whole balancing the high speed chase of keeping up with competition,
3. Winning at talent acquisition and retention
Although A.I. will eliminate some jobs – new transformations always do – it will shift and create far more jobs, mostly high tech, high touch, high education, and high pay. Leaders must compete for top talent and create environments that attract and retain it. They must also turn their workplaces into incubators of home-grown talent.
4. Overseeing data governance
A.I. relies heavily on data. Leaders must establish robust data governance frameworks – at the beginning of the game – to ensure high quality data with tight security.
5. Ensuring regulatory compliance
As A.I. continues to advance, governments – especially the U.S. and the E.U. – are increasingly implementing regulations to govern A.I. Corporations must entrust this critical function to leaders of impeccable standards.
6. Fostering cultural and organizational change
Change of this magnitude affects not only operational efficiency. Organizational culture – the collective values, attitudes, beliefs, and behavior – changes. Leaders need to foster a culture of innovation, experimentation, and learning to successfully integrate A.I. into their organizations.
7. Navigating disruption
A.I. will create broad disruption and lead to obsolescence of traditional business models. That, and new required skill sets and the people who have them, will be disruptive. Leaders must anticipate and manage these disruptions to ensure the long-term stability and success of their organizations.
8. Building cybersecurity
AI systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks and malicious manipulation – and we’re only just learning how. Leaders must prioritize cybersecurity and invest heavily in technologies, practices, and experts to protect their A.I. from threats.
9. Integrating humans and robots
No question, humans will be working side by side with robots – not as tools but as coworkers. This might be the most dramatic mindset change of all. The more integrated A.I. becomes in workplaces, the more leaders will find themselves addressing concerns about job displacement and reskilling. A great HR team should be way out front on this.
10. ROI and business value
The transformation to A.I. will be costly, probably uncomfortably so. But since there’s no choice, leaders must make the case for ROI and the business value – and do their best to maximize it.
While lesser issues with A.I. will change as conditions change around the periphery, these 10 core leadership challenges likely will expand and solidify.
