AI won't replace managers. But managers who ignore AI will replace themselves

"That tagline is lazy and dangerous. The bigger truth is that AI will expose managers who play it safe, cling to spreadsheets, and ignore what makes them truly human. The best managers don't get outmaneuvered by AI, they use it as a force multiplier. And that doesn't necessarily mean leaders who are fluent in technical jargon. It means managers who double down on what machines can't replicate: judgment, trust, and wisdom."

"Companies have poured tens of billions into GenAI. Still, according to a recent study by MIT's Project NANDA, 94% of generative AI pilot projects fail to deliver real business value. The study also found that only about 10% of job tasks are fully automatable. AI isn't wiping out managers. It's just redistributing grunt work. The smarter question for leaders is, what parts of my role are uniquely human, and what parts am I wasting time on that AI could handle?"

AI primarily automates repetitive, administrative, and analytical grunt work while augmenting managerial effectiveness. Most generative AI pilots fail to deliver business value, and only a small fraction of job tasks are fully automatable. Managers who offload status reports, scheduling, and data synthesis to AI can reclaim time for skip-level check-ins, relationship-building, and strategic judgment, producing measurable engagement gains. The most valuable managerial contributions center on uniquely human capabilities—judgment, trust, and wisdom—that machines cannot replicate. AI serves best as a force multiplier for workflow efficiency, pattern detection, and early warning of burnout or engagement dips.

Read at Fast Company