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Why AI Is Your Most Powerful Employee (and How to Manage It)

  • AI1L
  • Sep 8
  • 2 min read
ree


Technology used to hide behind the curtain.



Now, AI is center stage: running operations, marketing, HR, customer service, and more.



In Chapter 8 of my book, I described Generative AI as:


“The Most Powerful Employee. Ever.”

One who never calls in sick. Never burns out. Never stops learning.



But power without direction is dangerous. And that’s exactly where most companies go wrong.



According to recent data:


  • 78% of companies are using AI

  • 71% have deployed generative AI in at least one function

  • But 70% of initiatives underdeliver or FAIL.


But the real problem is not the AI that’s failing. It’s the management model around it.



Think Like a Manager, Not Just a Buyer


Deploying AI without structure is like hiring a genius and never giving them a job description.



AI needs:


  • A mission

  • Governance

  • Performance expectations

  • Teammates

  • Feedback loops


And yes—a manager.



AI as Co-Pilot, Not Competitor


The smartest companies are augmenting, not replacing their teams.


  • Marketing drafts 100x faster

  • Sales gets tailored insights

  • HR predicts attrition and personalizes onboarding

  • Ops scales workflows with near-zero marginal cost


📌 AI1L Principle 11: Trust but Verify EVERYTHING. AI is fast. But human judgment is your fail-safe.



Hybrid Roles Are the Future


Just like Excel didn’t kill finance teams, AI won’t eliminate jobs—it’ll redefine them.


  • Copywriters become Creative Strategists

  • Analysts become Decision Architects

  • Support reps evolve into Experience Designers


📌 AI1L Principle 9: Challenge and Empower Teams. When you equip people with AI and autonomy, they evolve with the tech not against it.


Build a Structure That Supports It


From my research The Strategic Imperative: Beyond a New Department for AI, A Blueprint for the Agent-Enabled Enterprise, the real solution isn’t another siloed “AI Department.”



It’s an AI Center of Excellence (CoE) that:


  • Aligns AI projects to strategy

  • Shares tools, training, and policies

  • Governs AI use company-wide

  • Embeds AI into everyday workflows


This isn't theoretical. It’s already happening inside successful enterprises today.



📌 AI1L Principle 10: Leverage Speed of Innovation. Don’t do more. Do smarter—at scale.



Checklist: Are You Managing Your AI Workforce?


Ask yourself:


  • Do we define success for AI in each role?

  • Are our people trained to collaborate with AI?

  • Is oversight in place—or is it just trust?

  • Do we have one source of truth for AI ethics, tools, and performance?


If not, you’re not leading AI—you’re hoping it leads itself. That’s a recipe for hallucinations, bias, and waste.




📘 Want to learn more?


Check out my book "AI Without the BS: The CEOs Playbook to Actually Getting AI Right" on Amazon: https://bit.ly/AIWithoutBS



Or subscribe to my youtube channel for insightful AI-first leadership discussions: https://bit.ly/AIWOBSYT



 
 
 

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