As generative AI reshapes how we work and think, IFTF Distinguished Fellow Bob Johansen and co-authors Jeremy Kirshbaum and Gabe Cervantes offer a profound rethinking of leadership for this new era. Their upcoming book, Leaders Make the Future (Third Edition), introduces ten augmented leadership skills essential for navigating an increasingly complex world. In this book excerpt, they explore how the relationship between human leaders and AI is evolving beyond simple automation toward a more nuanced form of augmentation.
The term "artificial intelligence" has been with us since 1956, but today's generative AI represents something fundamentally different — a social collaboration medium that creates new language, media, images, code, and music from existing patterns. For leaders trying to understand this shift, the traditional frameworks fall short.
Consider the metaphor of early flight. When humans first achieved powered flight, no one fully understood the physics of why airplanes could fly. We knew they worked, but the theoretical understanding came decades later. We're in a similar place with generative AI - we can observe its capabilities, but we don't yet have a complete framework for understanding how or why it works.
For leaders, the key question isn't about replacement but augmentation - how to extend and enhance human capabilities while remaining fundamentally human.
The shift from present-forward to futureback thinking reveals several key transitions in how leaders should approach AI:
From efficiency to effectiveness: While early AI applications focus on speed and automation, the real value lies in doing better things better, not just doing the same things faster.
From simple prompts to deep interaction: AI isn't just a question-answering machine. The most valuable interactions will be ongoing conversations that stretch thinking and generate new insights.
From automation to augmentation: While some processes can be automated, the goal isn't to reduce human involvement but to enhance it. Leadership roles will be augmented, not automated.
From seeking certainty to developing clarity: In an increasingly complex world, leaders need clear direction while maintaining flexibility about implementation.
From personal agents to human/agent swarms: Individual AI agents will evolve into orchestrated teams of humans and AI working together, creating new forms of collaborative intelligence.
From rigid guardrails to flexible bounce ropes: Rather than fixed constraints, AI governance needs to be adaptable like the ropes around a wrestling ring - strong yet flexible enough to respond to emerging challenges.
From avoiding hallucinations to embracing meaning-making: What we now call AI "hallucinations" may become valuable tools for creative thinking and exploration when properly understood and contextualized.
From increasing secular control to re-enchanting our world: Beyond mere utility, AI might help us explore life's mysteries and bring wonder back to an increasingly disenchanted world.
Looking ahead, AI agents will become increasingly sophisticated at accomplishing tasks in the digital world. However, like Moravec's paradox suggests, these systems may excel at complex cognitive tasks while struggling with simple physical ones. The challenge for leaders will be orchestrating these capabilities effectively while maintaining human judgment at the core of decision-making.
The future brings both opportunities and risks. The best leaders will be those who can harness AI's potential while remaining grounded in human intention, discernment, and self-control. After all, AI can't be trusted any more than the person using it - it will augment both good and poor leadership alike.
Order Leaders Make the Future (Third Edition) on Amazon or from your local bookstore today.