Experts Carine Alavoine, Head of Change & Management at Wemanity France, and Bruno Delb, consultant in CryptoDevOps.AI, stress that artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI are disrupting the workplace and reshaping leadership. What was once seen as a mere technological tool has now become essential for transforming how companies are led. In the face of these changes, leaders must answer a crucial question: how can AI be integrated while keeping human values at the heart of organizations?
1. Generative AI: Beyond Technology, a Catalyst for Leadership
Generative AI goes beyond simple task automation, enabling leaders to make faster, more informed decisions, adopt broader approaches, and foster agile learning.
1. Faster, More Informed Decision-Making
Grâce à l’analyse prédictive et aux informations en temps réel, les leaders peuvent prendre des décisions plus rapidement et de manière plus informée. L’IA permet de trier des volumes massifs de données, révélant ainsi des opportunités ou des risques auparavant cachés.
2. A Broader Approach to Leadership
Using AI tools, executives can reinforce their insights and better identify risks and opportunities that traditional methods might miss.
3. Accelerated Learning and Knowledge Sharing
AI enables leaders to learn and share knowledge more rapidly, facilitating continuous adaptation and strengthening innovation within companies. For example, creating questionnaires or gamification platforms simplifies access to learning and information sharing.
Challenges and Limitations of AI in Leadership
Despite these benefits, the use of AI raises significant questions that leaders must address carefully.
1. Data Ethics
One of the biggest challenges is managing sensitive data, especially in areas like human resources and intangible company assets such as skills, intellectual property, and data security. For instance, in HR, AI can build detailed employee profiles but also risk exposing information that could reinforce biases, leading to divisive decisions.
2. The Importance of Human Expertise
AI, though powerful, cannot replace human expertise and judgment. As Bruno Delb notes, AI remains a supportive tool, not a solution in itself. Human expertise is critical for validating suggestions and ensuring decisions are not solely based on automated data.
3. Awareness of Change Thresholds
While AI can aid decision-making, it’s up to leaders to determine priorities. Conflicting priorities can often hinder strategic decision-making, so leaders must learn to navigate these dilemmas to set a clear direction.
2. Leadership and AI: Merging Technology with Human Values
As Carine Alavoine emphasizes generative AI offers extraordinary opportunities but must be used with ethical awareness and human responsibility. The real challenge is leaders’ ability to balance technological innovation with essential human skills, like emotional intelligence, collaboration, and authenticity.
Establishing a Framework: A Necessary Approach in a Digital World
In her book, The Opossum Syndrome – A Guide to Facing Change, semiotician Élodie Laye Mielczareck highlights the importance of the kind of leadership society now values—“compassionate” and “empathetic”—in the age of AI. This human-centered management model emphasizes a leadership style that aligns innovation with respect for fundamental corporate values. However, Mielczareck underscores the importance of clearly defining terms that are often generalized. For instance, while “leadership” may imply kindness in some cultures, this is not universal. In German-speaking countries, the term “leader” translates as “Führer,” evoking different associations. Therefore, to be effective, leadership must be clearly defined and adapted to the cultural context in which it operates.
How Can Leaders Prepare for This Transition?
The key to a successful transition toward “AI-compatible” leadership lies in adaptable, flexible training that extends beyond learning technological tools to developing human skills. Initiatives like “AI clubs,” where employees share experiences and explore new AI applications, strengthen a culture of collective innovation. These collaborative spaces encourage new ideas, accelerating the adoption of technology into daily business processes.
3. AI and Leadership: Toward a Winning Synergy
Generative AI opens unprecedented opportunities for optimizing performance in a digital environment. However, as aptly noted by Laure on LinkedIn, AI will never replace the human essence. Authentic relationships and the ability to create stories that resonate deeply are what unite people. Leaders must therefore use AI to enhance decision-making while remaining grounded in timeless human values.
Emotional Intelligence: The Core of Leadership in the Age of AI
AI has enormous potential to boost leaders’ emotional intelligence by customizing content and interactions based on audiences, thus improving talent management and team motivation. This ability to “humanize” processes is a significant advantage for modern managers.
Transforming Leadership in the Age of AI
Generative AI is not only redefining management practices but also influencing the essential skills needed to lead in a rapidly changing world. To thrive in this digital environment, leaders must adopt an approach that combines technology and human intelligence to maximize team performance.
Contact us to learn how our experts can support you in this transition, making AI a competitive asset for your organization.
4. A Powerful Tool, But Not Without Challenges
Reflecting on the impact of generative AI on leadership, Carine Alavoine and Bruno Delb, experts in change management and DevOps, blockchain, and AI consulting, provide valuable insights into the opportunities and precautions leaders should consider.
Carine Alavoine emphasizes the importance of mastering generative AI for modern leaders:
“Generative AI goes beyond simple technological efficiency. It’s a strategic tool for faster decision-making and a more comprehensive approach to managing risk.”
She notes that this technology also enables faster learning and knowledge sharing but must always be used ethically.
Bruno Delb, a consultant in CryptoDevOps.AI, cautions that AI, while useful, should not replace human judgment. He warns against excessive reliance on AI, stressing the need for a critical mindset:
“Even though AI provides valuable insights, it’s essential to verify and validate its suggestions. AI is still prone to errors and biases.”
Preparing Leaders for the Age of AI
Generative AI not only changes management practices but also reshapes the skills necessary to lead in an ever-evolving world.
“To tackle the rapidly evolving technological challenges, it’s crucial to proactively support and equip employees and managers,” says Ninon Stref, Leader of the Wemanity Learning Center. “At Wemanity Learning Center, we’ve developed an integrated approach to ensure successful AI adoption. This begins with raising awareness of best practices, particularly focusing on ethics. Then, we provide role-specific training that shows each employee how to benefit from AI in their daily tasks, simplifying work and enhancing efficiency. Finally, we encourage the formation of internal AI communities to cultivate a true AI culture, fostering the sharing of practical tips and collective innovation. Following these steps equips teams to not only adapt but excel in a constantly evolving technological landscape.”
Ninon Stref, Leader Wemanity Learning Center at Wemanity
To succeed in this digital environment, leaders must find a balance between technology and human intelligence to get the best from their teams.
For more on how our experts can assist your organization in making AI a true asset, contact us.
Organizations should start by offering flexible, personalized training programs that teach not only AI tools but also develop essential human skills like collaboration, innovation, and change management. Effective change management, involving clear communication and active listening to employees, is also crucial to ensure successful AI adoption.
By reinventing leadership with AI, organizations can create a management model that is data-driven, agile, and deeply human. This improves performance and helps organizations adapt to future challenges in a digital world, making AI a tool for competitiveness and sustainable success.
Data ethics, the need for maintaining human expertise, and prioritization awareness remain major challenges. AI cannot replace the critical judgment of leaders.
AI cannot recreate human relationships, authenticity, and empathy, which are essential for compassionate leadership and creating shared value.
It is crucial to train leaders in AI tools while developing human skills like collaboration and change management. Initiatives such as “AI clubs” can foster a culture of collective innovation.
