Ever since the launch of ChatGPT back in 2022 there’s been an explosion in the use of Large Language Model (LLM) so-called “artificial intelligence” systems. A quick search today discovered a list of 21 LLMs accessible to the general public, including ChatGPT and its latest iteration, GPT-4o. Everyone’s doing it: alongside OpenAI, big software companies - Google with their Gemini model and Microsoft with Co-Pilot - are jumping on the band-wagon. The chances are you’ve used one of these AI assistants, even if you don’t realise it.
Along with the rise of these so-called AIs has come a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth from those who, perhaps freaked out by the “Terminator” movie franchise, imagine that the chatbots’ arrival heralds the imminent extinction of the human race. Others complain that their jobs and livelihoods are at stake because the AIs can now do their work, faster and cheaper. Yet others claim the AIs allow students to cheat by getting an AI chatbot to write assignments for them.
I wonder how much of this doomsaying is based on actual experience of interacting with any of these chatbots. When the dust settled after the mass hysteria around the ChatGPT launch, I was curious to discover for myself what the fuss was all about. What I found was that it is a really excellent research assistant, with average writing skills that include many extremely irritating, apparently baked-in grammatical quirks, but precious little sign of any actual intelligence.
No matter which LLM you choose, after a couple of interactions it becomes increasingly apparent that you’re dealing with a computer. The old rule applies: garbage in, garbage out. Of course, the more you practice with them the better you tend to get at crafting prompts that cause the AI to go and find information for you; with luck and a bit of skill you can get it to return exactly what you were looking for, most of the time.
Ask it a well-crafted question and the AI will go and find reams of information on any subject you choose. Quite often it will find much more than you expected, sometimes giving you new lines of inquiry that had never occurred to you. All that in response to one or two prompts: ten minutes’ work, if you’re a slow, two-fingered “hunt and peck” typist like me. That will save you literally hours if not days of laborious manual searching, rummaging through libraries and poring over reams of academic papers.
I do argue, though, that the term “artificial intelligence” is a misnomer in this context. True, general Artificial Intelligence might one day evolve and these LLMs might be a precursor to it, but they’re not there yet.
If a machine were to exhibit human-level intelligence it would need a couple of features that are completely absent from the current crop of LLMs. Creativity is one of them: the AIs of today are incapable of anything approaching creativity. That’s not to say that they can’t be used as creative tools, it’s just that the creativity comes from the human who’s creating the prompts for the AI.
Another obviously absent feature is emotional intelligence. The AI is a machine! An impeccably well-mannered and helpful machine, to be sure, but that’s due to its programming. It has no capacity to feel emotions, or to feel anything at all for that matter. Occasionally, when prompted in just the right way, an AI can return a response that on the face of it looks empathetic or caring, but if you ask the AI to reveal its sources it immediately becomes obvious that the “empathy” is embedded in the source data. The machine has none.
There is another flaw in the current crop of LLMs that one might think is all too human. That is their tendency to occasionally “hallucinate” by returning inaccurate, fanciful or even completely false information. Garbage in, garbage out! It pays to fact-check everything an AI chatbot tells you.
Having said all that, if you’re doing a research project and you want to find relevant information quickly, you’ll find any one of the current crop of chatbots extremely helpful.
I thought it would be interesting to pose a question on a particularly apt aspect of leadership and see what response I got from ChatGPT. The result was very interesting – so much so that I’ve decided to share it with you here, giving my question at the start and a post script at the end in which I’ll comment on the AI’s response.
Here's my somewhat tongue-in-cheek question, inviting ChatGPT to “blow its own trumpet”:
“What role can AI play in leadership?”
Here’s what the AI said:
"The Role of AI in Leadership: Empowering Decision-Making and Enhancing Human Potential
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, it’s reshaping every facet of our lives, including how we lead organizations. Leaders today are faced with the challenge of navigating an increasingly complex, fast-paced, and data-driven world. While AI might seem like just another buzzword, its potential to transform leadership is undeniable. When used effectively, AI can empower leaders to make better decisions, streamline processes, and unlock human potential in ways that were previously unimaginable.
Let’s explore the role AI can play in leadership and how it can become a valuable ally in guiding organizations toward success.
1. Data-Driven Decision-Making
One of the most significant ways AI can impact leadership is by enhancing decision-making through data analysis. Today’s leaders are often overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information available. AI can sift through massive amounts of data, identify patterns, and generate actionable insights, allowing leaders to make informed decisions quickly and accurately.
How It Helps:
Identifying Trends and Opportunities: AI can analyze market trends, consumer behavior, and industry developments, helping leaders stay ahead of the curve and identify new opportunities for growth.
Predictive Analysis: AI’s predictive capabilities allow leaders to anticipate potential challenges and take proactive measures to mitigate risks.
Reducing Bias: By analyzing data objectively, AI can reduce human biases in decision-making, leading to more rational and fair outcomes.
Example:
Imagine a retail company leader using AI to analyze sales data. AI can quickly identify which products are performing well, which are lagging, and even predict future demand based on seasonal trends, enabling the leader to make strategic inventory decisions and optimize supply chains.
2. Enhancing Productivity and Efficiency
AI can handle repetitive, time-consuming tasks that often bog down leaders and their teams. By automating administrative duties, data entry, and routine analysis, AI frees up valuable time for leaders to focus on more strategic, high-impact activities.
How It Helps:
Automating Routine Tasks: AI-powered tools can take care of scheduling, report generation, and data analysis, allowing leaders to concentrate on tasks that require creativity and critical thinking.
Improving Communication: AI chatbots and virtual assistants can handle basic inquiries and tasks, streamlining internal communication and reducing the workload on leaders and support staff.
Streamlining Workflow: AI can optimize project management by prioritizing tasks, tracking progress, and identifying bottlenecks, ensuring teams work more efficiently.
Example:
A leader using an AI-powered project management tool can receive real-time updates on project status, task completion rates, and potential delays, allowing them to address issues promptly and keep the team on track.
3. Enhancing Talent Management and Development
AI can play a crucial role in helping leaders manage and develop their teams more effectively. By analyzing employee data, AI can provide insights into individual strengths, weaknesses, and potential growth areas, enabling leaders to create personalized development plans and build high-performing teams.
How It Helps:
Recruitment and Hiring: AI can analyze resumes, screen candidates, and even conduct initial interviews, helping leaders identify top talent efficiently while reducing hiring bias.
Employee Engagement: AI tools can monitor employee engagement levels, track performance metrics, and provide feedback, allowing leaders to address issues early and keep their teams motivated.
Personalized Learning: AI can recommend tailored training programs based on individual skill gaps and career aspirations, supporting employees in their personal growth and development.
Example:
A leader using an AI-driven talent management platform can quickly identify which employees are ready for promotion, who might benefit from additional training, and how to improve overall team engagement, leading to a more effective and satisfied workforce.
4. Supporting Strategic Planning and Innovation
AI can assist leaders in developing and executing long-term strategies by providing insights, scenario analysis, and simulations. This allows leaders to make more informed decisions about future growth, innovation, and risk management.
How It Helps:
Scenario Planning: AI can simulate different scenarios based on various inputs, helping leaders understand potential outcomes and make strategic choices with greater confidence.
Identifying Innovation Opportunities: AI can analyze market trends, consumer feedback, and competitor activities to identify opportunities for innovation and help leaders develop products or services that meet evolving customer needs.
Risk Management: AI-powered risk assessment tools can help leaders identify potential risks, monitor emerging threats, and develop contingency plans.
Example:
A tech company leader might use AI to simulate how different product features will perform in the market, allowing them to prioritize features that are most likely to succeed based on predictive models.
5. Facilitating Better Communication and Collaboration
Leaders play a crucial role in fostering effective communication within their organizations. AI-powered tools can help leaders facilitate better collaboration by providing insights into team dynamics, tracking communication patterns, and offering suggestions to improve engagement.
How It Helps:
Analyzing Communication Patterns: AI can analyze communication channels to identify how information flows within the organization, helping leaders address bottlenecks or gaps.
Language Translation and Inclusivity: AI-powered translation tools can break down language barriers, making it easier for global teams to communicate and collaborate.
Facilitating Meetings: AI can transcribe meetings, highlight key points, and even suggest action items, ensuring that everyone stays on the same page.
Example:
A leader managing a global team might use AI-driven translation tools to facilitate communication across different languages, ensuring that everyone feels included and informed regardless of their location.
6. Enhancing Emotional Intelligence and Understanding
AI can help leaders develop a deeper understanding of their teams by providing insights into emotional intelligence and team sentiment. While AI doesn’t replace the human touch, it can complement a leader’s ability to connect with their team on an emotional level.
How It Helps:
Sentiment Analysis: AI can analyze employee feedback, emails, or survey responses to gauge team morale and identify areas of concern.
Empathy and Understanding: By providing insights into how employees are feeling, AI can help leaders respond with empathy and address issues before they escalate.
Tailored Communication: AI can suggest the most effective ways for leaders to communicate with different team members based on their communication preferences and emotional states.
Example:
A leader might use AI sentiment analysis to monitor employee feedback and detect signs of burnout or dissatisfaction, allowing them to take proactive steps to improve the work environment and show support.
7. Balancing Human Intuition with AI Insights
While AI can provide valuable data and insights, it’s essential for leaders to balance these with their own intuition, experience, and empathy. AI is a tool that can augment leadership, but it cannot replace the human qualities that make great leaders—such as empathy, creativity, and the ability to inspire.
How It Helps:
Informed Decision-Making: AI provides data-driven insights, but leaders must apply their judgment to interpret and act on those insights in a way that aligns with the organization's values and goals.
Building Trust: Trust is built through human connections, not algorithms. Leaders must ensure that AI complements their leadership style, not replaces it.
Conclusion: AI as an Ally in Leadership, Not a Replacement
AI has the potential to revolutionize leadership by enhancing decision-making, improving efficiency, and unlocking new levels of human potential. However, it’s important to remember that AI should be seen as a powerful ally, not a replacement for human leadership. The most successful leaders will be those who can harness the power of AI while retaining their empathy, creativity, and ability to inspire.
In a world where technology continues to evolve rapidly, the leaders who thrive will be the ones who blend AI’s analytical capabilities with the human touch that builds trust, fosters collaboration, and drives innovation. As we move into an AI-enhanced future, leadership is not about being replaced by technology—it’s about using technology to become an even more effective, insightful, and compassionate leader."
Post Script
So there you have it, chapter and verse on how AI will make you a better leader. You’ll have to forgive ChatGPT’s irritating insistence on using American spelling and grammar, and it’s addiction to the Oxford comma. I find those things annoying but they don’t get in the way of understanding what the AI is talking about.
Whatever your personal opinion of the points it makes, one thing does stand out. I completely agree with ChatGPT’s final statement: AI will never replace true, human leadership, but the technology provides useful tools that we, as leaders, can use to help us become better at performing our role.
There you are, leaders, you’ve now heard it from ChatGPT itself: your role as a leader is safe from the ravages of rampant AI! So, go forth and lead your people: inspire them, motivate them, encourage them, support them and protect them just as generations of transformational leaders have done before you. But while you’re doing it, don’t be afraid to exploit new and evolving technologies to help you along the way.
What’s Your Next Move?
Leadership is about action, not just reflection. So, how will you apply today’s insight? Share your thoughts in the comments, and let’s continue the conversation—your next breakthrough might be closer than you think.
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