AI in Leadership: The Rise of AI CEOs
Automating tasks and workflow has become the norm by now - may whoever has not yet used ChatGPT at any point during their workday be the first to throw the stone. Now, the debate has moved on to discussing whether we shouldn’t stop at just outsourcing efforts, but also the decision-making.
Certain daring companies have already appointed AI as their CEO. One such company is Dictador, led by a humanoid robot named Mika.
The arguments for replacing C-suite executives include higher effectiveness, impartiality, and removing the emotional aspect from making difficult decisions that could save companies millions.
Supporters of replacing CEOs with AI argue that a lot of the grey work currently carried out by humans could be done much faster and more accurately by Artificial Intelligence. Writing, reporting, or data analysis are time-consuming tasks that could easily be automated, leaving human CEOs more time for actions requiring creativity or judgment.
On the other hand, there is a fear resulting from a lack of human connection. Many workers feel attached to their bosses because they personally like them. Such a relationship would be difficult to establish with a robot - even a humanoid one.
The switch to remote work enforced by the pandemic has made everyone more accustomed to digital communication and following instructions coming from a computer, rather than a mouth. However, it has also resulted in many productivity and health issues stemming from the feeling of isolation.
Many also worry about the lack of accountability in the case of AI. A robot does not have to be mindful of possible repercussions like a human employee would, which leaves a lot of freedom for potential errors or misunderstandings.
Research carried out by EdX among hundreds of executives demonstrated that nearly half of them are convinced that “most” or “all” elements of the CEO role should be automated or taken over by AI. One might think that executives would not be optimistic about their group being replaced by AI, but according to the survey results, that is not the case.
A different survey, focused on the workers’ point of view, revealed that a slightly smaller number, 42%, of British workers would feel comfortable taking orders from a computer.
It seems; therefore, that executives are more enthusiastic about being replaced by AI than their subordinates are by the concept of being led by a robot.
Despite the dynamic changes regarding the introduction of AI into various spheres of the workplace, we are still only at the beginning of our journey. Companies like Dictador are forging the path towards a future taken out of a science fiction novel, but there is still a lot awaiting us in that area.
