In order to decide on whether artificial intelligence is a menace or a blessing for organizational leadership, I think that it is first appropriate to determine whom artificial intelligence may benefit or harm in an organizational context, respectively.
As it has been found out in recent research, currently, only one third of leaders who are in charge of organizations can be characterized as “pro-AI”, while the other two thirds follow a more “passive” approach to embracing artificial intelligence, when it comes to leading a workplace.
The implementation of artificial intelligence is surely a breakthrough that can result in unprecedented change, and foster flexibility with regard to how a workplace is run.
However, for the use of artificial intelligence to become a regular practice in the everyday running of a workplace, it is necessary to ensure its adoption by those who still have a more passive frame of mind toward it.
Unless such a wider adoption is assured, it will be difficult to apply and use AI apps on a large – and more efficient – scale.
What is more, this relatively low level of AI adoption among today’s leaders and managers can emerge as a risk to fully implementing and taking advantage of AI in the workplace.
It would be interesting to attempt to draw a parallel between this situation and Luddism, i.e. the movement of fighting the introduction of automated machinery in the workplace in 19th century England.
Although it is true that, when it comes to utilizing artificial intelligence and its applications in a business environment, things are not as dramatic as back then, there is a latent possibility of those leaders and managers who are poor users and advocates of, or just indifferent to, artificial intelligence, to be turned into some sort of small-time Neo-Luddites who oppose AI, similarly to how early Luddites demonized automated machinery.
And even though, according to another research finding, those leaders and managers who are in favor of utilizing AI in the workplace, reach a multiple level of efficiency by using the latter, the question remains to be addressed of whether AI will dominate the business environment, just like the use of machinery in production nearly eliminated manual labor, and the dominance of the Internet led to a massive shrinkage of the offline market, or whether poor adopters of AI will manage to make an impact and keep AI-related progress back for a period of time that is hard to determine with any level of precision at the moment.
Raising awareness among both leaders and managers and employees on AI and its implementation in the workplace is a key decisive factor that will determine whether AI and its applications will be the next big trend to take the business environment by storm.
Those who are involved in the business operations that take place in a company, at any level, should be able to make optimum use of the potential offered by AI, and closely follow the latter’s development and growth, in order for them to develop and grow with it.
Finally, in order for the various facets of artificial intelligence to be put to effective practice in the context of organizational leadership, it should also be stressed that artificial intelligence may still have some, or even a long, way to go, before it is fully embraced by organizational leaders.
Sources and further reading:
Intel, Palantir and Ally talk AI’s impact on leadership
Luddite
Neo-Luddism