by technology, or one featuring more humanistic symbiosis along with biotech advancements. We believe this decision needs to be based on three assumptions that have a strong impact on the concepts and practices of today’s leadership. Firstly, many people believe nowadays that actions which were previously performed only by human beings can now be better and more swiftly executed by algorithms. Secondly, whether we like it or not, in time many areas of human activity will be taken over by artificial intelligence. Lastly, as Elon Musk was quoted in the press as saying, since AI came into being it is “very di cult to predict what will happen” and it is “a singularity like a black hole”. The challenge, therefore, is to establish the proper kind of partnership with this new generation of generative algorithms. Outlining the challenges ahead Keeping that in mind, NOI can help us with three major challenges. The first involves the very nature of change. Human beings have never experienced the kind of change that exists today; it is truly unique in nature. The pace of change has never been so rapid before. We barely have time to adjust to a new way of thinking and then it is again being challenged by something that is supposed to be better. The initiators or champions of change will not be senior executives, but rather those people who are not afraid of thinking the unthinkable. It seems that the timing is right. In e ect, humankind has invented what was needed to avoid its disintegration. In this situation, we must invent a new formula to support leaders and business educators. This is an equation that will help leaders to choose how to step into a new era, whether that is solely using human attributes, together with technology, or based on partnership. As Albert Einstein once remarked: “Politics is for the present, but an equation is for eternity.” Ideas for a new kind of leadership They say “a leader is a dealer in hope”, which is why posing the right questions as company leaders or business educators is so vital. Keeping this challenge in mind, we propose a new leadership equation: L=HI+NOI, where L stands for leadership, HI is human intelligence and NOI is non-organic intelligence. In other words, in this equation we need to closely look at what the areas are where the two
types of intelligence will be at their best. It also means that we should focus on the breakdown of responsibilities between NOI and HI, so that the best results can be achieved. In such a way, the human and social side of life will be well protected from unwanted negative e ects. Interestingly enough, the equation (see box right) does not force us to interact with NOI, or move to hybrid intelligence. On the contrary, it o ers various ways to work in the NOI-impacted world. The burning question here is: how to choose the best path to follow? Finding the way forward Since finding a change pathway is not an easy task, we suggest that interested parties first take the following self-assessment exercise to see where they stand regarding this new leadership equation. First, read the following scenario and then select what you think is the best way to handle it. Basically, you need to try to identify the most e ective behaviour in this regard. It might not necessarily be what you are used to doing, but try to keep the end goal in mind.
28 | Ambition NOVEMBER 2023
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