Name: Leadership by Algorithm
Rating: 4.1 (162 reviews)
Author: David De Cremer

What’s in it for me? Discover how artificial intelligence will change the way businesses work.

Artificial Intelligence, or AI for short, is the next big thing in the world of business. It’s already making inroads into the fields of data entry and recruitment, and its impact is set to grow exponentially in the coming years.

But with every advance in the field, leaders and employees alike raise fresh concerns. Will AI replace workers and render most employees redundant? Can algorithms really be trusted? And how do you manage a workplace composed of both AI and human employees?

These blinks open a window on the ways AI will change organizations in years to come.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

why AI is a good manager;
whether algorithms can truly lead; and
how AI collaborated with a long-dead composer.

The AI revolution is coming, whether we like it or not.

If you’re a fan of sci-fi movies, the notion of intelligent machines probably worries you. In film after film, we’ve seen humankind develop super-smart robots only for them to rebel against their creators, with disastrous consequences every time.

Surely, you might think, these stories contain a lesson for us. But if they do, it’s not one that’s been heeded; a quick glance at the world of business will tell you that.

Year after year, artificial intelligence has been growing smarter – and industry leaders, eager to maximize their profits, have been paying close attention to these new, intelligent machines.

The key message here is: The AI revolution is coming, whether we like it or not.

So how will artificial intelligence change the world? To answer that question, we first need to look at what exactly the term AI refers to.

Put simply, AI describes a program that swallows data as its raw material and issues conclusions as its finished product. To do this, AI uses algorithms, a system of mathematical calculations that takes the data you enter, runs some computations on it, and produces useful findings as a result.

So far, this all sounds fairly innocuous, right? Well, think again. In 2016, a computer program developed by Google beat the world champion at Go, a Chinese board game even more complex than chess. For many, this was a watershed moment. People used to think that excelling at Go required a human touch – but Google’s AlphaGo program proved them wrong.

After this victory, many businesspeople began to wonder whether AI might outstrip human judgment in their own fields. It didn’t take long to find the answer. Just as AI was able to choose the most strategic moves in a game of Go, it’s also able to indicate the course that businesses should take to achieve optimal results.

That’s why current estimates predict that AI will add $13 trillion to the global economy over the next decade, changing the way businesses are managed for good.

With money like that on the line, the adoption of AI seems inevitable. But what will its human impact be, besides enriching investors?

AI is poised to enter the world of management.

What does the word management suggest to you? Bureaucracy? Paperwork? Stifling rules and regulations that nobody wants to follow?

It’s easier to understand what management involves when you contrast it with leadership. Both involve directing people. But whereas leadership involves charisma, drive, and vision, management is more concerned with supervising day-to-day tasks – in other words, with making sure everything is kept ticking along.

The ability to lead is beyond the powers of AI.

Leadership is a quality that everyone wants to possess. The ability to influence others, to motivate your peers, and to make wise decisions for the communal good is a rare and desirable power.

But is it a characteristic that AI can possess? If algorithms can work as managers, does that mean they can lead, too?

The story of workplace AI should be one of collaboration, not replacement.

In 2018, the tech giant Huawei arranged a surprising performance of Franz Schubert’s Symphony no. 8.

Why was it surprising? Well, Schubert began the symphony almost 200 years ago, but he died after he completed its first two movements. Yet somehow, this orchestra managed to play four. That’s where Huawei came in; the company used AI technology to analyze Schubert’s style and predict what his missing movements might have sounded like!

Workers need to overcome a few prejudices before they can make the most of AI.

Time after time, research has shown that employees work best when they feel empowered. When workers feel as though they have an important role in their organization and can make their own decisions about how to fulfill it, both employee satisfaction and performance go up. It’s a win-win.

But navigating empowerment in the age of AI can be tricky. Many workers take the emergence of artificial intelligence as an affront, or as a threat to their independence and livelihoods.

Key ideas in Leadership by Algorithm