Artificial intelligence is not only reshaping how industries operate but is also reshaping the leaders of tomorrow.
A new generation of AI natives is now entering the business world and demonstrating fluency in tools like ChatGPT, are comfortable with automation, and are keen to move at speed. But while they are technologically fluent, these new market entrants risk being less grounded in the slower, subtler, softer skills that define lasting leadership including judgment and empathy, and the ability to see nuance where the machines only illustrate data.
At its best, AI amplifies human potential. It can accelerate research and unlock creativity, giving businesses and individuals a sophisticated toolkit that is off-the-scale exciting. But within the benefits of this new technology is also a significant downside that is already starting to become apparent to business leaders. The tools designed to make tasks easier do not allow for the hard mental work that builds individual human capability including the long and arduous hours of observation, trial and error that creates instinct in the process. Newcomers into the space are not building the scar-tissue of experience like previous generations and we will soon be feeling the effects of this change. And leaders are already voicing their concerns.
Early-Career Experience and Intuition
Traditionally, early-career roles were apprenticeships in judgment. Junior employees learned by watching senior colleagues make decisions, listening in on client calls in the office, and by making mistakes in a safe environment with others around to guide, support and advise. These experiences were not just about building skills but they instilled resilience and the ability to read between the lines.
Today, an AI-powered workplace risks skipping that critical foundation. Many entry-level roles are now more about managing tools than mastering a craft. So when a junior executive turns to ChatGPT for research they may save time, but they also lose the subtle process of discovery and iteration that once developed their professional intuition.
If this trend continues, businesses may soon face a generation of employees who can generate answers instantly and easily, but struggle to question assumptions and provide human intervention and counsel. And that’s a dangerous position in a world where competitive advantage depends on discernment and judgement.
Technology Fluency Is Not the Same as Wisdom
We’ve long championed the idea that commercial impact comes from the intersection of data, insight, and human understanding. AI can process billions of data points, but it can’t measure up to the assessment of someone with decades of human experience, or interpret the unspoken dynamics in a boardroom.
Wisdom cannot be downloaded like knowledge can. It is the accumulation of experience over many years of lived context such as knowing when to speak and when to listen. It’s also about perspective: the ability to connect seemingly unrelated conversations or non-verbal communication and understand how a decision will impact a client’s business in months to come.
This distinction matters profoundly in professional services, an industry led by humans not machines. Our industry and many others thrive on trust, and the power of storytelling. A pitch, a PR strategy, or a media interview is rarely won through logic alone; instead it is won through human connection and trust. That’s what leaders must protect as automation scales.
Rethinking Hybrid Models to Rebuild Connection
While offering numerous benefits, one of the downsides of hybrid and remote working is the loss of learning moments that were a key part of shaping strong leaders.
A quick debrief after a client call, a spontaneous brainstorm, or simply overhearing how a problem is solved in the office builds confidence and judgment. While remote working has solved one problem, it has unintentionally created many others.
To ensure we don’t suffer a lack of future leaders, businesses need to rethink these opportunities for those climbing the career ladder. That means reassessing hybrid models for early-career professionals so that they can spend time in environments where they can learn these skills. Offices are creative ecosystems where observation and mentorship help to accelerate growth.
Mentorship as a Strategic Imperative
Mentorship is no longer a “nice to have” but is a strategic advantage. Businesses that want to retain talent and inspire loyalty need to create initiatives that combine technology with the value of human connection.
And true mentorship isn’t about scheduled check-ins: it’s about trust and exposure to real decision-making, which gives people permission to make mistakes and learn in the process. At the end of the day, leadership is built on discernment and not certainty driven by a bot.
Employees who feel invested in then stay at a business longer, perform better, and become anchors for a firm. In a marketplace that is becoming defined by automation, it will be culture and not LLMs that keeps teams together and helps make businesses successful.
Leading with Humanity in an Age of Automation
The leaders of today must not push back on AI but instead exist seamlessly with an approach that is human-led. That means designing careers that challenge people, and gives them the freedom to think and not leave the decision-making to a bot. It’s about providing courses, work experience or internships for new generations of talent to feed the future workforce – even if AI can do the job.
While AI can generate knowledge instantly, wisdom and instinct takes time to learn. This can only be done through human-led mistakes and strengthened by mentorship of those that have been there and done it. Companies that nurture judgment and connection will be the ones to thrive in this unpredictable AI revolution.
