In the age of AI, will leaders be technocrats or humanists?

IN AN era where artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technologies are transforming business operations and even national agendas, leaders face the pressing need to stay abreast of the latest technological changes, as well as navigate ethical dilemmas in their application. With technology often outpacing the development of regulatory frameworks and ethical guidelines, finding leaders who can understand, implement and govern AI responsibly has never been more crucial.

This raises the critical question for the future of leadership: how can we balance technical with humanistic priorities to harness the benefit of AI, while simultaneously protecting privacy and avoiding movie-like scenarios wherein bots run amok?

The current race for technical talent

Before implementing AI, organisations need to first evaluate its readiness and intended usage as part of their longer-term overall strategy. Improving outcomes, creating new revenue streams and transforming businesses should be clear end goals – rather than merely assisting teams in their current functions by incrementally improving productivity.