How AI Is Redefining Leadership and Decision-Making in 2025

AI is everywhere, even in senior leadership. Many executives use AI to scale themselves with digital twins, or AI-powered clones. Zoom CEO Eric Yuan, who has developed such an AI version, believes that AI representatives could replace humans at virtual meetings. 

AI is taking over a wider range of tasks meant for humans, and we’re already witnessing the impact of AI-powered automation on the workforce. Companies replace junior specialists with AI. For example, Duolingo’s CEO, Luis von Ahn, recently stated that the company will no longer rely on contractors for tasks that AI can handle and will only expand its headcount once teams are fully leveraging automation.

While AI can step in for specialists of basic skills, it can’t replace leaders, as it lacks emotional intelligence and human connection. At the same time, technology is transforming how we lead. The shift happened when I stopped treating AI like a search engine or digital assistant and began using it as a true thought partner. 

I want to share how AI improved my approach to leadership. 

1. Daily Tasks on Autopilot

One of the most talked-about benefits of AI is its ability to save time. In a recent report, Google stated that generative AI could save a person over 122 hours per year on basic administrative tasks, the equivalent of approximately three full working weeks.

Many executives fall into the trap of getting bogged down in routine tasks that drain focus and strategic thinking. That changed for me when I began incorporating AI tools into my daily workflow.

For example, I now dedicate mornings to high-priority strategy sessions, while administrative work is scheduled for the afternoon. Tools like Notion AI, Claude, and ChatGPT handle background tasks such as planning, report writing, and financial analysis. At the same time, I can focus on what matters: strategy, mentoring my team, and staying ahead of the market.

2. Turning Data Into Insight

I’m constantly boiling in streams of information. The deeper I delve, the more I realize how easy it is to drown in data in search of clarity. It’s more than one person can reasonably process without sacrificing a tremendous amount of time and mental energy.

For example, during our recent product launch, I was monitoring everything from sales performance and customer feedback to shifts in competitor pricing strategies. In the past, synthesizing all that information would have required marathon spreadsheet sessions and late-night calls with multiple teams. 

Now, with AI solutions like Power BI and AlphaSense, I was able to get real-time dashboards showing sales dips correlated with social sentiment, plus a competitive intelligence alert that a rival had quietly released a feature similar to ours.

3. Improving Scenario Planning and Risk Management

I’ve learned to use AI not just as an analytical tool but as a strategic intelligence partner. With AI algorithms, I can better forecast potential futures using both historical data and real-time inputs. It helps me to be more adaptable and better prepared for uncertainty.

For example, with AI, I simulate political or economic events and model their ripple effects on global tech stocks and commodities. I also optimize allocation decisions across strategies and geographies.

Here are some common examples of how AI helps me with scenario planning and risk management:

1. Scenario simulation: stress-test decisions before committing capital.
2. Predictive macroeconomic insights: time market entries and exits more precisely.
3. Sentiment monitoring: catch early trends and sentiment reversals.
4. Risk forecasting: improve portfolio resilience and ensure compliance.
5. AI-assisted communication: Build trust and clarity with stakeholders.

4. Reducing Biases and Promoting Fairness

I have to constantly make decisions that affect the business and people involved in it. And of course, I make mistakes and be unfair because of a lack of data, misjudgment of the situation, and so on. 

As AI tools evolve, so do concerns about their fairness. Biased AI increases inequality and causes serious harm. One of the most well-known cases involved an AI-powered hiring algorithm that favored male candidates over females. A white paper from the World Economic Forum and LinkedIn warns that AI-driven workplace changes could worsen gender disparities.

To prevent AI bias, we thoroughly test algorithms for fairness before deployment. When implemented responsibly and trained on neutral data, AI can help identify and correct inaccuracies in human decision-making.

5. Complementing, Not Replacing 

One of the biggest questions about AI is, how does it affect your team? Especially with anxiety and concerns like the white-collar recession on the rise, it’s more important than ever for leaders to show up in a real, human way. 

In many cases, team members are not ready for change, but AI is an exception. According to a McKinsey report, generative AI adoption among employees is three times higher than leaders expect. Executives can support their teams with training and inspire to adopt AI on a larger scale. It’s a crucial moment, as these efforts accelerate the AI maturity of the company.

JPMorgan Chase, for example, is training new hires in AI: all incoming employees receive prompt engineering training. As for me, it’s a great example of how to replace people with technology but improve their effectiveness. 

In such conditions, leaders would have more time to focus on strategy and innovation, while the team would have the opportunity to develop their skills.

Final Thoughts 

Leaders are always busy, under constant pressure to do more with less and deliver results immediately. And here is AI that handles so much of their routine. 

On one hand, AI improves decision-making, boosts efficiency, and provides time for strategic things. On the other hand, technology forces us to rethink responsibility, ethics, and the organizational culture we build in a tech-driven world.

I believe smart leaders will never be fully replaced by AI. While we’re seeing AI surpass human capabilities in many areas, there are essential human qualities it simply can’t replicate, like empathy and compassion.

AI is no longer a concept of tomorrow, as it’s already here. Now we have to learn how to use it to improve, not replace, the very human strengths that define smart leadership.

Originally Appeared Here