Leadership with AI: Staying in the Driver’s Seat

 

AI is changing the world. In leadership, the story must shift from replacement to augmentation and transformation.

As a NED for Obelisk AI, Louis Kent (CEO) and I often speak about the responsibility we have in helping educate clients on the real value of AI within business – not as a replacement for human insight, but as a way of augmenting human capacity.

The latest MIT study on replacing human essay-writing with AI chatbots reported:
“ChatGPT users had the lowest brain engagement and consistently underperformed.”

Please check the comments below for full details of the MIT study.

It’s important to use AI responsibly – not to replace our ability to think, but to enhance our capacity to deliver. Without responsible adoption, we risk affecting our decision-making skills, which could eventually impact businesses.

MIT findings are concerning, but before chatbots and AI existed, everyday experiences affected the brain – how we applied it and how much we remembered.

Let’s consider an everyday activity of travelling in a vehicle:

  • Driver – responsible, focused, recalls the journey, including diversions and delays.
  • Passenger – no responsibility, no attention or real memory of the journey.

Now let’s compare this to using an AI chatbot:

  • You (passenger) – provide instructions to the AI chatbot.
  • AI chatbot (driver) – controls the narrative, finds all the information, and recalls all content on demand.
  • You (passenger) – you complete the task, but with little recall or proper understanding.

AI chatbots are a powerful tool – when used to support you and not to replace you.

→ The smarter our tools become, the more valuable our human qualities: empathy, ethical judgment, and big-picture thinking.
→ Companies that combine the best of technology with what makes us human are investing in growth – without the cost of additional resource.

Ask yourself:

  • Are you using AI to support you?
  • Or delegating to AI to replace you?

Let’s use AI responsibly. Our ability to choose is what makes us who we are.