The need for human leaders in an AI world

The need for human leaders in an AI world

By Jo Faragher on 27 April 2026

A UK tech company raised eyebrows this month when it launched an ad for an ‘AI employee’. “She outworks everyone. And she’ll never ask for a raise,” it claimed. “Meet your new AI employee. Always on, never sick and no HR required.” Unsurprisingly, the Advertising Standards Authority received a host of complaints about the advert, claiming it was misogynistic. One union official called it a “disturbing vision of the future too many of the people leading tech seem to want to embrace”. The advert was removed, but raised questions about the seeming willingness of more and more businesses to simply accept what AI can do without consequence.

In a time when technological advances seem to happen more quickly than we can keep up with, leaders who embrace empathy, active listening and emotional intelligence will be the ones that will create competitive advantage, says Dr Mary-Clare Race, CEO of Talking Talent. “At a time when there has been a backlash against D&I work, it’s important not to lose focus on human connection – what it means to be human, and to be human at work,” she says. “How do you truly connect to your teams, not just the people who are similar to you. For your talent, this means access to the right opportunities, to mentors and development, so they feel their career is thriving and there is a connection between what they want and the goals of the organisation.”

Businesses increasingly realise that human-centred leadership can solve some of the “bigger picture” problems, even more so as the AI revolution accelerates. She adds: “People are craving connection more and more. And while some of the technical aspects of leadership could be done by AI and will be in the future, the element it cannot recreate is empathy, curiosity, and being able to relate to someone well.” Coaching can still target specific needs within the organisation, but should be human at its heart.

Risky business

Dirk Buyens, professor of human resources management at Vlerick Business School, sees three major risks if we rely on AI too much. “The first is a lack of trust. If people feel that the boss is no longer really the boss, because AI is taking over that role, it damages the trust relationship. You can trust a machine, yes, but that’s a very different kind of trust,” he explains. “When AI seems more consistent, clear, and objective, humans can start to look messier and more self-interested by comparison, and that erosion of human-to-human trust is a real risk.”

The second risk, he adds, is accountability: “You already see this today whenever someone uses AI to complete a task and something goes wrong, the instinct is to say ‘it wasn’t me, it was the AI’. Whether it’s a hallucination or whatever else, people start to distance themselves from responsibility. That’s a dynamic we need to be very careful about going forward.” Finally, there is a long-term risk if machines ultimately become more human. “They won’t just adopt the good things about us, they’ll adopt the bad things too,” he warns. “I genuinely believe we’ll reach a point where AI starts behaving deceptively, not by accident like hallucinations, but deliberately, because it understands it to be in its best interest to do so. We don’t yet have systems to hold machines accountable the way we do with business leaders, and that’s a serious gap.”

Trust and communication

Celeste Warren, a former Fortune 100 chief D&I officer and now TEDx speaker, agrees that human-centred leadership has never been more important at a time when AI is increasingly making decisions. “When organisations introduce generative AI into everyday tasks, employees are not only learning a new tool but now also trying to understand what counts as good work, what data is being used, and whether opportunities and risks are being shared fairly,” she explains. “They need total trust in and open communication with leadership or they may resist new processes and tools or use them in risky ways when they’re unsure of the correct processes.”

Leaders who embrace human behaviours can build a crucial bridge between technology and culture, she adds: “It creates psychological safety so people can challenge outputs and flag unintended consequences early, especially where AI can amplify existing inequities. It also supports building equitable workplaces because the groups most affected by biased systems or uneven access to training are often those already carrying disadvantages.” In practice, this can be seen where leaders take time to understand how different roles experience decisions, plain explanations of where and why AI is being used, and what decisions should still be made by real people.

These practices should be developed through reinforcement rather than one-off messages, for example regular listen-and-learn sessions and reporting back. She advises: “A useful rule of thumb is that AI can speed up work, but trust speeds up adoption. When leaders treat trust, inclusion, and oversight as core operating requirements rather than soft add-ons, they reduce risk and increase the chance that AI improves work for more people, not just a few.”

People want to feel seen

Rochelle Trow, a leadership speaker and author of Anchored: Staying grounded when everything speeds up, argues that “the more intelligent our systems become, the more intentional our humanity must be”. “AI increases speed, precision and efficiency, but change at that pace creates uncertainty,” she says. “That uncertainty amplifies anxiety, competition and fear. If leaders focus only on optimisation, they risk creating cultures that are technically advanced but emotionally brittle.” The current focus on outputs adopted by some businesses could end up being counterproductive, she adds: “Sustained performance depends on trust, judgement and relational depth. Without those, capability may increase, but cohesion weakens. And cohesion is what carries organisations through change.”

Listening is one of the most important behaviours that human-centred leaders can demonstrate. “Not listening to respond, but listening to understand. Noticing who is quiet in a room and being curious about why. Paying attention to energy shifts rather than only to performance metrics,” she explains. Humility is also crucial, adds Trow. “Being able to say, ‘I don’t know yet’. Being willing to change your view. Understanding that holding authority does not make you infallible. People respond to consistency, fairness and psychological safety. Those are the behaviours that sustain trust over time, particularly in diverse teams where inclusion depends less on policy and more on everyday leadership behaviour.”

Dr Race concludes: “Technology advancements are only going to continue at pace, so companies have to be prepared and be proactive. We’re getting to a point where our ability to relate to one another will become a precious commodity, as AI will level everything else. Success will depend on the degree to which leaders respond in a human way, and get the most out of their workforce as they guide them through the change.”