While artificial intelligence (AI) takes over routine tasks and boosts productivity, it also shifts the leaders’ role, claims Professor Alberto Ferraris, whose research project at CIAS focuses on how AI affects the skills of managers   

Professor Alberto Ferraris is working as Full Professor at the Department of Management at the University of Turin (Italy). His areas of expertise include business management, innovation management, big data and AI. He is author of more than 100 academic and scientific articles, many published in top international journals, such as Journal of World Business and Annals of Tourism Research. The researcher is also co-editor in chief of the British Food Journal and Senior Editor of International Journal of Emerging Markets. 

Professor Alberto’s research project at CIAS focuses on how artificial intelligence affects the capabilities of managers at different levels of organisations. In December last year and April this year, the professor spent altogether a month and a half in Budapest.He has become involved with CIAS through one of his colleagues who is working at Corvinus University. 

During his research project at CIAS he did interviews with managers to depict the impact of AI on their skills. The professor wants to know which capabilities need to be developed more and how artificial intelligence has revolutionised the skills required by the top management team. He also would like to explore how leaders should manage their team members.  

“It is important because AI is a game changer and is revolutionising the business activities, processes and decision making in all industries”, he points out why his research is important and timely. “I would like to stimulate more awareness in business executives on how much they need to change their leadership and managerial skills to take full advantage from AI”. 

Professor Ferraris highlights that AI will reshape leadership and mainly management by taking over routine, low-value tasks like agenda preparation, meeting summaries, and presentation creation. It will also assist in decision-making by providing information in real-time. However, leaders will still be essential for tasks that require emotional intelligence, such as motivating and engaging with people. “So, the decision making will change a lot with some tasks that will be delegated to the machine and others that will be more on the human side”, he explains. The professor believes that all managers can benefit from AI assistance in certain tasks. Even those in more people-focused roles, like Human Resource Management, can leverage new tools — such as those used in recruitment — to enhance their work.  

According to Professor Ferraris’ findings the ideal leader using AI needs three main skills sets. “First, he needs an AI growth mindset, which means being open to continuous learning and proactively engaging with AI developments. Secondly, he needs AI strategic critical thinking, i.e. focusing on data-driven decision-making and organisational restructuring. Lastly, he needs AI relationship management, in other words fostering workers’ empowerment and engagement of external stakeholders”. Building on the results, Professor Ferraris and his team propose a framework that illustrates how these skills influence a leader’s personal growth, the way the organisation operates and how they manage relations.

When it comes to the areas where AI is particularly useful for leaders, the researcher mentions the tools that help with decision making by taking over tasks with low added value, saving time and providing real time data and tips on some key performance indicators. This means that AI can play a big role in helping leaders be more efficient. “I hope that by using AI leaders will have more time to focus on their collaborators — preserving their mental health, motivating and empowering them — while also becoming more productive and data-oriented”, Professor Alberto Ferraris summarises how the use of AI is changing the role of managers.