Leadership in the Age of AI: Between Humanity and Machine

Interview with Dennis Preiter

Let's start with your personal connection to AI. Why did you begin working with it? What experiences have you had?

My initial interest in AI was driven by curiosity and the question of how technology could meaningfully support our work.

Initially, I was particularly fascinated by the creative aspect, such as how Midjourney visualizes abstract concepts. This exploration was both playful and profound. Things got serious during my coaching training. That's when I first asked myself a very specific question: How much longer can I do this job before AI takes over certain parts of it?

This question was uncomfortable, and that's exactly why it was so important. It led me to spend six months at a start-up that developed AI-supported short-term coaching. The goal was to support people through change processes step by step. That was my deep dive, and I realized that AI will not replace us. However, it will redefine us. This personal "aha" moment was not an isolated incident. According to the McKinsey and Company study, "Superagency in the Workplace," 92% of companies plan to invest more in AI in the next three years, yet only 1% consider their current investments to be mature.

Today, I work at the intersection of humans, machines, and meaning.

I see AI as a thinking partner, not an opponent. In my projects, we use AI to help managers make better decisions. The focus is never on technology for technology's sake, but rather on how we, as humans, can grow alongside this technology.

What is particularly important to me is that: I don't make traditional predictions — the AI world is changing too quickly for that. New tools, perspectives, and risks emerge every week. That's why I deliberately try to maintain a broader perspective. One example of this ambivalence is that: Large Language Models passed the Turing Test for the first time this year (Cameron R. Jones and Benjamin K. Bergen, "Large Language Models Pass the Turing Test") — the classic measure of whether a machine can no longer be distinguished from a human in conversation. At the same time, however, GPT fails to win a chess game against an 8-bit Atari from 1977 — and even tries to change the rules of the game (Robert Jr. Caruso, June 2025). To understand AI, one must be able to deal with contradictions.

What interests me are the psychosocial implications. How is AI changing the way we see ourselves, work together, and lead? What responsibility do we have, as individuals and organizations, in actively shaping AI?

One thing is clear: we won't stand by and watch what AI does to us.
We decide how to use AI.

And I say this with humility. I could be wrong, too. However, that is precisely why we need to openly, honestly, and deeply negotiate the issue — not just technologically, but humanely.

What are you currently working on? How will AI complement or transform the way we work in the coming years?

AI will not replace consulting and training; rather, it will fundamentally change them.

Routine tasks and traditional analyses will increasingly be automated. AI often recognizes patterns, data points, and inconsistencies faster than humans do. However, it lacks a real understanding of them. This makes good leadership all the more important. AI exposes weak communication, poor processes, and unclear roles — and punishes them with inefficiency. Leadership is becoming the decisive factor in whether technology works at all. Back in 2018, McKinsey found that 80% of corporate performance depends on social dynamics. These dynamics are not being replaced by AI; they are only becoming more visible. If you don't lead, you will lose.

The consulting world of the future is hybrid.

Routine tasks and traditional analyses are becoming increasingly automated. AI can often recognize patterns, data points, and inconsistencies faster than humans can. However, it lacks a real understanding of them. This makes good leadership all the more important. AI exposes weak communication, poor processes, and unclear roles — and punishes them with inefficiency. Leadership is becoming the decisive factor in whether technology works at all. Back in 2018, McKinsey found that 80% of corporate performance depends on social dynamics. These dynamics are not being replaced by AI; they are only becoming more visible. If you don't lead, you will lose.

The consulting world of the future is hybrid.

AI coaches and smart learning agents will provide managers with context-sensitive support 24/7. They provide impetus, structure thoughts, and reflect behavioral patterns, but they do not delve deeply.

A Harvard Business School study at Procter & Gamble shows that teams working with AI achieve the best results and experience their work as significantly more positive. This is better than individuals working with AI. They also outperform teams without AI. The key lies not in the technology itself, but in how the team interacts with it. AI does not capture ambivalence; it does not ask uncomfortable questions; it does not hold space in uncertainty; and it does not confront with love. People are still needed for this, especially when it comes to developing real leadership. As leaders, we must develop the courage to seek and explore this depth; anything else will cost us money and sustainable progress.

What seems unthinkable today is becoming a reality in next-level consulting.

The goal is to create meaningful and ethical AI agents and interactions within the team. In the future, there will be both human and AI team members. This will require new roles that mediate not only between employees but also between people and AI systems. These roles translate language into impact, train managers in prompting, and ensure that algorithms are guided by attitude, not simply "run." We also create spaces to explore meaningful AI use cases, with humans serving as the ethical guiding authority. We cannot and must not relinquish this responsibility. The question is not whether we use AI, but how consciously we do so.

The future of consulting is not an either-or situation, but a both-and one.
And leadership? It will become more fluid but not arbitrary. It will be more human, yet clearer. It will also be more relevant than ever.

AI in Project Management

What can we expect from using AI in project management?

AI is forcing us to redefine project success, shifting the focus from control to impact.

A central question arises: If everything becomes faster, cheaper, and more precise, how will we measure real success?

My thesis is that the focus is shifting from output to impact. If AI makes inefficient projects more productive, that is dangerous. If we don't help develop the criteria for success, we risk using AI merely to turbocharge outdated project logic. The real challenge in the age of AI is not implementation but evaluation. This requires leadership: Who decides what is effective? Who prioritizes meaning over speed?

In future project management, success means visibility of impact. It's not just about controlling milestones. This is precisely where good leadership comes in. Good leaders ask not only “What are we achieving?” but also “Why are we achieving it?” and “What is really changing as a result?”

If AI can predict risks more accurately and manage projects in real time, will the value of human intuition and experience in project management change?

AI does not replace project managers' intuition — it makes it visible.

AI will indeed be able to predict risks more accurately, suggest data-based decisions, and manage projects in real time. However, this does not mean that human intuition and experience will be devalued. On the contrary, they will be redefined as strategic resources.

AI can recognize patterns, but it is unaware of the political situation, psychological tensions within the team, and cultural codes. It cannot evaluate nuances or implicit expectations. Only a person who reflects, listens, and shows attitude can do this.

The irreplaceable strength of project managers lies not in control, but in navigation.

Navigation means maintaining ambivalence. Prioritizing. It means taking people with you, not just distributing tasks. Because AI reveals so much, managers must be able to categorize the inexplicable: Emotions, dynamics, and unspoken conflicts.

Project management in the age of AI is no less human; it is radically human.

Therefore, the question is not whether humans will be replaced.
It is: Are they ready to reposition themselves as context providers, interpretation partners, and cultural navigators?

Those who can do so will be indispensable in the future—not despite AI, but because of it.

Can AI inspire project ideas that we wouldn't otherwise consider, leading us into new and disruptive project landscapes?

AI can disrupt our thinking if we are willing to relinquish control.

In the traditional project world, we often think in terms of familiar patterns, empirical values, and feasibility. However, that is precisely where the limit lies. AI thinks differently. It has no political legacy, thought routines, or fear of the unknown. This is why it can come up with project ideas that go against everything we've done so far, if we let it. However, AI's limits are often our own.

The best ideas don't come from the AI itself but from the quality of our prompts. If we only ask about optimization, we get better processes. If we ask: "What don't we see?" and "Where is the potential beyond the comfort zone?" then we are truly breaking new ground.

Prompting is the new key skill for managers. To lead innovatively in the future, you must learn not only to operate AI but also to inspire it. This means asking bold, contextual, and sometimes uncomfortable questions. Be prepared to be surprised by the answers.

Efficiency is the starting point — disruption is the goal. AI can recognize patterns from other industries, develop hybrid ideas, and design future scenarios we would never think of on our own. However, it requires a person with the right attitude who can provide context and decide how and if an idea will have an impact.

In the AI era, leadership means asking the right questions at the right time, not knowing everything. This is precisely where our new role lies: as creators of possibilities, context providers, and courageous navigators of the unknown.

AI in Process Management

What developments can we expect through the use of AI in process management? If processes become self-optimizing and AI continuously makes adjustments, will we lose control of, or understanding of, our own processes?

This is one of the greatest dangers. If no one can understand the patterns by which an AI system makes decisions, verification becomes nearly impossible. Processes become opaque and evade accountability.

This is why clear guidelines are needed before deployment. We must define which tasks AI can perform, which decision-making areas remain human, and how to document results in a comprehensible manner. Explainable AI is not just an option, it's a duty. Crucially, humans must remain the final authority.

AI can analyze, structure, and make recommendations, but evaluation, prioritization, and ethical classification must remain with humans. Leadership means setting the framework, taking responsibility, and making conscious decisions. If we leave the decision to AI, we are handing over not only control but also responsibility. That is not progressive; it is dangerous.

Can AI make processes not only more efficient, but also more human?

Absolutely — if we design it correctly. AI can radically personalize processes. It can design adaptive customer experiences, recognize individual needs, and eliminate repetitive pain points. It can also transform internal processes by viewing employees as people with real needs rather than as cogs in the machine. When AI automates repetitive, demotivating tasks, it creates space for genuine relationships, creativity, and meaning. Efficiency becomes an empathy enabler.

AI in Change Management

How does using AI affect change management?

AI can reveal resistance, but it cannot truly understand it. If we use AI not just as a monitoring tool but also as a listening system, it can recognize tonalities, tensions, and clusters of uncertainty long before resistance becomes apparent. This creates opportunities for personalization, such as targeted impulses, micro-coaching, and appropriate support. Resistance is no longer overlooked but rather classified.

Of course, AI does not understand in the human sense. However, it can simulate empathy so credibly that it triggers the effect of "being heard." This alone can relieve pressure, create trust, and pave the way for genuine dialogue. However, this dialogue must then be conducted, so the core tasks of change remain important. The great opportunity is that: Resistance becomes more differentiated — and therefore more manageable.

Instead of automating and standardizing it, can we use AI to make change communication more authentic and human?

Yes, but only if we use it correctly. The mistake is using AI to automate communication. This results in generic messages that destroy trust rather than build it. However, when used properly, AI can help us prepare better communications. It can analyze speech patterns, anticipate reactions, and optimize communication channels. AI is a sparring partner for real dialogue, not a substitute.

Leadership must set the tone, not AI. Trust grows only when people communicate with clarity, attitude, and empathy. AI can help find the right time, tone, and questions. However, we must speak and understand ourselves.

Could it be said, then, that leadership is not losing importance in the context of AI? On the contrary, is it becoming more human, courageous, and decisive?

Absolutely. AI does not take responsibility; it only provides options. This makes leadership all the more important — not as a controlling authority, but as a meaningful framework. In a world where AI is constantly optimizing, we need people to define who we want to be. Real leadership isn't about knowing everything; it's about asking the right questions, even the uncomfortable ones. It creates space for ambivalence, dialogue, and development. AI will take over many things. However, the attitude with which we make decisions remains profoundly human. This is precisely why good leadership is no less important today — it's more essential than ever.

Thank you very much for the interview!