The real danger of AI: leaders who lack strategy and vision

The Real Danger of AI?

Leaders who think technology can cover for their lack of strategy and vision.

History tells us: technology never changes anything on its own. Leaders do.

• The printing press spread ideas.
• The industrial revolution brought machines.
• The internet destroyed old business models.

But in every case, it wasn’t the technology that decided the winners and losers. It was the leaders who knew how to harness it.
Now, it’s AI.

Copywriters stare down ChatGPT. Lawyers watch contracts get generated in seconds. Coders see GitHub Copilot write faster than they can. Jobs will shrink. Some will vanish. And yes, many will struggle to make the leap. That’s the harsh truth of disruption.

But the real danger isn’t AI. It’s leaders who think technology will make up for their lack of strategic thinking and leadership.

AI doesn’t kill creativity. It multiplies it. It strips away the grind and gives employees the tools, mindset, and skills to create more value. But only if leadership shows them how.

Here’s the kicker: AI is probably the most versatile technology ever developed. It can do thousands of things — faster, smarter, and cheaper than we imagined. But it still can’t decide which of those things matter. That’s the leader’s job.

And like AI, business leaders today also have to be versatile — not only to deal with the disruptions that come their way but to actually do their job: LEAD. That’s why I always return to the basic principles I introduced in my book Owning Tomorrow: The Unstoppable Force of Disruptive Leadership:

1. Courage to see the world as it is, not as you wish it were.
2. Commitment to a vision, without getting trapped in tunnel vision.
3. Confidence to help others discover their own power.
4. Curiosity to challenge assumptions — especially your own.
5. Creativity to turn disruption into opportunity, not a threat.

AI isn’t your replacement. It’s like an intern — smart, fast, sometimes dazzling, but blind without leadership to direct it.

👉 What do you think? Can today’s leaders match AI’s versatility with their own?