Choosing to Lead People in an AI Age

If I were starting a company today - I would be thinking about hiring very differently than I would have a few years ago.

I keep seeing this with clients and friends who are building today. They are weighing what must be done with human labor, and what could be done with AI “labor.”

And of course when choosing the mix of human vs. AI “labor” - there are obvious advantages of leaning towards AI. Just like software and other technologies that have come before: AI will be cheaper. It will be faster. It will be smarter. It will “work” harder.

For owners, entrepreneurs and decision makers - all of these attributes of AI are quite attractive. The ROI calculation is fairly clear and as such, certain people are excited for this future. Built into that same calculation lies the reason others are quite scared of this future.

There is another component of this calculation that I don’t see discussed as much though. It’s one that I think deserves some attention.

As a leader - the choice between building with humans and building with AI also represents a choice about what kind of work you want to be doing and who you want to be doing it with.

Do you want your job to be managing people? Or AI tools?

It turns out - compared to AI tools - managing people is hard. People can be a pain in the butt. They have feelings. They have needs. Those feelings and needs change day to day. People are unpredictable. They are jealous. They are unsatisfied with the status quo. And every one of them is different from every other one.

Up until the last few years, dealing with people has just been the cost of doing business. It has been what leadership was all about.

Today, founders and leaders are actively choosing how to build their companies in part based on their willingness to work with that human messiness. And I know a lot of people that can’t be bothered. They want to minimize human interaction as much as possible.

There is a part of me that understands that instinct.  If you view your career as an effort to earn as much money as you can, while minimizing the toll of working on your life - this perspective has some appeal.

I don’t view my career that way. I love working with people and am drawn to the idiosyncrasies of the people I work with. It is what keeps my days interesting and meaningful.

That said, this trend is something to pay attention to.

What does our society and economy lose when decision makers have a choice to avoid the friction that comes with leading people?