AI as chief executive officer? Your Boss May Fear Replacement More Than You

Many people still worry that AI will cause them to lose their jobs, and it seems possible that AI will end up doing much of the work humans currently do.

However, given AI's prowess in data analysis and decision-making, is it realistic to assume that middle and upper management positions—and maybe even the CEO—are the most at risk?

More intriguingly, how will most working people respond to having their everyday tasks overseen by a bot instead of a human if this is the case?

Leadership by AI

Although many people may find the concept of an AI boss to be bizarre, the reality is that this technology has already begun its attack on the executive suite. Mika, the CEO bot of Polish alcohol and beverage company Dictador, was unveiled towards the end of 2022. She is responsible for leading the DAO. Mika will integrate automated decision-making using blockchain and other technologies in this capacity as the firm investigates new products and market opportunities. After all, it only makes sense to have a bot keep an eye on your company operations around the clock to ensure nothing goes wrong once you start automating them at lightning speed.

While the idea of a robot CEO may make for exciting headlines, the fundamental question is whether or not technology has advanced enough for robots to assume the many intricate roles of today's top executives. It is too soon to tell, but there have been some encouraging outcomes.

Around the same time as Mika, the Chinese game business NetDragon Websoft named its AI bot Tang Yu, CEO. Since then, the company's stock valuation has increased by 10%, bringing its total worth to over $1 billion and causing it to exceed the Hang Seng market in Hong Kong. Dejian Liu, the company's founder, has stated that the employment of Tang Yu is part of a larger goal to move toward a "metaverse-based working community" and that AI is the future of corporate management and strategic growth. However, I was horrified by how Tang Yu contributed to the company's business needs and clarified procedures.

Can AI Yet manage a Company?

Even though it makes sense for CEOs worldwide to worry about their job security in light of these changes, new research suggests they are very complacent. Half of CEOs believe AI can effectively take on most or all of their current duties, and many would welcome such change, according to a survey by edX, a producer of educational and training systems.

Most of a CEO's time is spent on routine activities, such as completing reports and repeating themselves to various audiences. Market research, supply chain problems, company alignments, technological challenges, human resources issues, and so on the go on and on. And 90% or more of the time in these positions is spent digesting and making sense of data, which is a job well suited to AI.

Of course, few CEOs worry that they will be immediately replaced by a CEO powered by artificial intelligence. Many "soft" skills are still unlikely to be automated away. Skills such as innovation, analysis, leadership, group cohesion, and implementation of a shared vision for the future are essential.

However, this perspective is kept from the rest of their companies. Almost half of employers believe that their present workforce's abilities will be obsolete by 2025, and nearly half of their employees need to prepare for the changes that will inevitably occur.

Control System Automation

Many middle-level executives and managers will likely lose their jobs or have their involvement in day-to-day operations reduced. As businesses of all sizes turn to the cost savings, efficiencies, and increased performance of intelligent technologies, designer Sushantvohra just published a post on Medium highlighting various polls that imply a tsunami of AI-driven automation is set to impact middle management.

Human management has a dismal track record, especially in prediction and opportunity recognition. That is because most people, instead of consulting the abundance of information from other managers and the world, go to their past experiences to make sense of the future. As a result, close management can be counterproductive in some contexts, especially those that are complex and reliant on highly skilled staff.

Is it Better to Have an AI CEO?

What would it be like for the millions of employees who eventually report to a computer instead of a human boss? Lee Hafner, editor of Employee Benefit News, thinks it might be all right. Multiple surveys have found that the leading cause of team member dissatisfaction is having a boss who needs help understanding the task, appreciating employees' contributions, and generally making the job more difficult.

Many of these issues ought to be amenable to AI management. After all, a bot can be programmed to avoid partiality, micromanagement, and the setting of confusing or unrealistic expectations. By matching people's skills and abilities with the tasks that bring out their best work (and, ideally, their most incredible sense of personal fulfilment), AI could help design more tailored workplaces. It can even suggest courses and credentials to assist individuals in advancing to better, higher-paying jobs.

In Conclusiveness

As AI becomes increasingly pervasive in the workplace, one thing is sure: machines will replace humans. The only difference is that these shifts are occurring at the top of the corporate food chain for the first time with AI.

But, this is sometimes a bad thing, considering that the digital economy necessitates seamless communication between all parts of the business.