AI Is a Powerful Executive Tool – If You Treat It Like a Colleague, Not an Oracle

By Ben Smoker, CEO – Sota

Artificial intelligence has moved rapidly from novelty to necessity. For senior executives and managers, generative AI is now being used to analyse data, summarise reports, explore strategic options, and pressure-test decisions at a speed that would have been unthinkable even just a few years ago.

Used well, it can materially improve decision-making and productivity. Used poorly, it risks reinforcing flawed assumptions and creating false confidence.

The difference is not the technology itself, but how leaders choose to engage with it.

AI Works Best as a Thinking Partner, Not a Decision Maker

One of the most common mistakes I see is leaders treating the first AI-generated response as the answer, rather than a starting point.

Generative AI excels at synthesis and pattern recognition. It can process vast amounts of information and present it coherently. What it cannot do, without guidance, is fully understand organisational nuance, culture, risk tolerance, or strategic intent.

The most effective leaders don’t ask AI, “What should we do?” They ask, “Help me think this through.”

That subtle shift transforms AI from a shortcut into a strategic amplifier.

The Real Value Comes From Iteration, Not Output

When AI is used for analysis or strategy, the biggest gains come through collaboration and iteration, not one-off prompts.

High-value use typically involves:

• asking AI to analyse a problem or market
• challenging its assumptions
• requesting alternative viewpoints
• exploring second- and third-order impacts
• refining outputs based on real-world constraints

In practice, AI works best when treated like a capable analyst in the room, not an oracle delivering final answers.

Leaders who simply accept and reuse AI output are capturing only a fraction of its potential.

Challenge the Machine – Especially on Evidence

Generative AI is persuasive by design. That is both its strength and its risk.

McKinsey reports that while adoption of generative AI has accelerated rapidly, many organisations struggle to convert outputs into real business value without strong human oversight and governance. The reason is simple: AI can sound confident even when its assumptions or data are weak.

Senior leaders should challenge AI just as rigorously as they would an internal report or external consultant:

• What sources underpin this view?
• Are the statistics current and credible?
• What assumptions are being made?
• What would a sceptic argue?

When challenged properly, AI responses often improve significantly. More importantly, leaders’ own thinking sharpens in the process.

Human Judgment Before and After Still Matters

AI is most effective in the middle of the thinking process, not at the beginning or the end.

Before engaging AI, leaders should be clear on the decision they are trying to inform, the constraints that matter, and the outcomes they care about. Afterwards, human judgment must still weigh risk, balance trade-offs, and take accountability.

Gartner has consistently warned that over-reliance on automated decision support without human validation increases operational and strategic risk, particularly in complex or ambiguous environments.

AI can inform decisions. It cannot own them.

Faster Thinking, Not Shorter Thinking

The real promise of AI for executives is not that it replaces thinking, but that it accelerates and expands it.

Used well, it allows leaders to test ideas faster, explore scenarios they would not otherwise have time to model, and arrive at discussions better prepared. Used poorly, it simply shortens thinking at the moment when depth matters most.

A simple rule of thumb helps clarify this:

Did this interaction sharpen my thinking, or merely save me time?

Time saved is useful. Thinking sharpened is transformational.

Conclusion: Augmented Leadership Wins

The organisations that gain the most from AI will not be those that adopt it fastest, but those that integrate it most thoughtfully.

Generative AI delivers its greatest value when paired with experienced leaders who are willing to challenge it, iterate with it, and apply critical human judgment before and after its use.

AI does not replace leadership. It rewards it.

Used this way, AI becomes less about automation and more about augmentation, helping executives make clearer, more confident decisions in an increasingly complex world.