Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Leadership in Modern Organisations

Sammanfattning

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into organizations is transforming leadership paradigms by redefining ethical accountability, decision-making processes, and core competencies. This research examines two unresolved tensions in AI-augmented leadership. First, the conflict between AI-supported logic and emotional intelligence (EI) in decision-making, and second, the centralization vs the decentralization of authority. Through a qualitative multiple-case study, semi-structured interviews with seven executives across technology, healthcare, marketing, and oil/gas sectors reveal that leaders must balance between algorithmic precision with human judgment, acting as ethical gatekeepers while fostering team trust in AI systems. Findings highlight key competencies: digital literacy to interrogate AI outputs, EI to manage employee anxieties, and adaptability to navigate rapid technological shifts. Crucially, AI does not diminish leadership but redefines it as a "curatorial role” orchestrating collaboration, validating outputs, and safeguarding ethics. The study advances leadership theory by exposing gaps in traditional models for instance, “transformational/servant leadership” when applied to AI contexts, proposes a hybrid framework that integrates technical fluency with relational and ethical acuity. Practical implications urge organizations to prioritize EI training, moral audits, and decentralized accountability. By bridging the divide between human intuition and machine intelligence, this research charts a path for sustainable, human-centric leadership in the AI era.