The role of a CEO in a company is multifaceted, involving leadership, decision-making, and often, a personal touch. However, experts argue that many of these responsibilities could be effectively handled by artificial intelligence (AI). This shift in perspective is gaining traction in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, where many have adapted to not having a human boss.
AI has the potential to replace CEOs due to its ability to process vast amounts of data and make logical decisions free of personal biases, egos, and moral inhibitions. For instance, an AI could make impartial decisions about layoffs, a task that can be emotionally challenging for human CEOs.
The financial incentive to replace high-salaried CEOs with AI is also significant. Anant Agarwal, former director of MIT’s Computer Science and AI Lab, estimates that 80 percent of a CEO’s work could be replaced by AI.
However, the transition to AI leadership is not without its challenges. AI systems are still flawed and can be as biased as the data they’re trained on. Moreover, the social aspects of having a human boss, such as leadership and morale boosting, are hard to replicate with AI.
Interestingly, many CEOs seem to agree with this sentiment. In a survey conducted by the IT consulting firm AND Digital, 43 percent of respondents believed that an AI could take over their jobs. Some companies have already made the switch, appointing AI as their “experimental CEO.”
Read more: futurism.com