Leadership in the Age of AI: Lowering the Threshold, Raising the Bar
Leadership in the Age of AI: Lowering the Threshold, Raising the Bar
We stand at a pivotal moment in the evolution of leadership. Artificial Intelligence has changed the rules, shifting the focus from what technology can do to what it should do. Inspired by a recent panel discussion at our Alumni Executive Summit Stockholm, the message is clear: today's leaders must approach AI with courage, clarity, and responsibility.
At the Alumni Executive Summit Stockholm, panelist Martin Lundqvist, CEO of Arundo Analytics and a seasoned voice in the digital transformation arena, described AI as both a promise and a paradox. It is a tool of unprecedented power—but one that demands a fundamental shift in leadership mindset.
“We’ve spent decades writing the rules. Now we train models that write the rules for us. That requires a different kind of responsibility.”
Our panel consisted of:
Fredrik Persson
President of BusinessEurope and a leading voice on European competitiveness.
Hélène Barnekow
Non‑executive board professional and Partner at leadership consulting firm, Gaia Leadership.
Martin Lundqvist
CEO of Arundo Analytics, a company specialising in AI-driven analytics solutions.
Thomas Nilsson
Lieutenant General Thomas Nilsson leads Sweden's military intelligence and security operations.
Leadership in the age of AI
This inversion—where humans no longer define the rules but oversee systems that learn them—demands more than technical fluency. It calls for ethical depth. Leadership in the age of AI is not about just keeping pace with innovation; it is about setting a higher standard for its use. The stakes are too high to treat AI as another tool for efficiency. From energy consumption to bias, the risks are global and deeply human.
To lead in this environment, organisations must do three things:
Focus on what matters
AI is not a strategy. It is a tool that must be pointed at real, meaningful problems. The business case must come first—AI should serve strategy, not replace it.Design with the user in mind
Too often, AI is built in abstraction, removed from the people it is meant to help. Embedding real decision-makers—those closest to the problem—ensures relevance, adoption, and trust.Lower the threshold for experimentation
Responsible leadership does not mean risk aversion. In fact, it demands the opposite: creating safe environments for experimentation where innovation is encouraged and failure is framed as a learning opportunity. In today’s fast-moving landscape, waiting for perfect certainty is more dangerous than moving with thoughtful agility.
As AI capabilities expand, so too must our responsibility. The environmental cost of training large-scale models is staggering. By 2026, global data centres are expected to consume 1000 terawatt-hours annually. If leadership is about stewarding resources—people, capital, knowledge—then AI leadership must also steward our planet.
So, where does this leave the modern leader? At the intersection of bold innovation and ethical restraint. At the helm of systems they don’t fully control, yet are accountable for guiding. Leadership in the age of AI is not about knowing all the answers—it’s about asking better questions, building diverse teams, and making sure experimentation has purpose.
The AI age calls us to lower the threshold for trying—but raise the bar for how we lead.
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