M-RCBG Associate Working Paper No. 244
Leadership Development in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Léa Aboumoussa
Jennifer Pfister
2024 Policy Analysis Exercise prepared for the Human Leadership Lab
Executive Summary
This Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE) was conducted for the Human Leadership Lab (HLL) and explores the intersection of Generative Artificial Intelligence and leadership development. We mapped how Generative AI (GenAI) tools are currently being used for developing leadership skills, and examined potential benefits and risks associated with their use.
The findings were translated into actionable recommendations for HLL regarding the integration of these technologies in their work.
Our research included an extensive overview of existing literature and use cases, as well as an analysis of interviews with 22 practitioners and academics from the leadership development, AI technology, and ethics fields.
Our findings revealed that AI is increasingly being used in simulations, as assistants for coaches, learning companions and advisors, with AI coaches also being developed.
Arguments for embracing Generative AI included increase in speed, scale, scope, and sophistication offering efficiency, democratizing potential, and benefits that are unique to AI tools. Key concerns regarding the integration of AI tools encompassed its potential to reinforce biases, create over-reliance on AI and job displacement, produce false or useless information, and the lack of emotional intelligence and accountability.
We recommend HLL to experiment with some Generative AI tools to:
(1) evaluate their practical application and effectiveness in their context,
(2) implement a feedback mechanism to evaluate the effectiveness of AI tools, and
(3) foster critical thinking among coaches and coachees.
We argue that Generative AI tools need to be developed with a commitment to cultural sensitivity and inclusivity, and that human-centered leadership organizations choosing to embrace such tools need to actively advocate for responsible AI development and deployment.