The key to not being replaced by AI is not competing with machines, but leading with authenticity, empathy, and human values that enhance talent and drive innovation.
“What do I have to learn about AI to not be replaceable in my current position?” my bestie asked me during our long phone conversation. She lives abroad, and we, as good friends, share our worries about different aspects of our lives, from love to work.
She is in middle management, and she believes that A.I. could replace all her work; however, there is something she is missing. And just as my BFF, AI, worries that many employees fear that AI will take their jobs. However, I am more optimistic, and I genuinely believe that AI has the potential to enhance human skills.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) is transforming the way we think, communicate, work, and lead. This isn’t merely about technological change; it’s a profound shift that will determine the future success or failure of leaders and companies in the coming decades. For women in leadership roles, this moment offers both unprecedented challenges and significant opportunities.
The recent announcement of Fidji Simo becoming the CEO of Applications at OpenAI exemplifies how women’s qualities are reshaping success in Industry 4.0. In Fidji’s words, AI has the potential to transform people’s lives.
Fidji is a French-born woman who grew up in a family of fishermen, where no one graduated from high school. As a young female immigrant CEO in tech, Simo learned to accept and leverage her outsider perspective.
Claves para capitalizar la era de la Inteligencia Artificial Agéntica
In the era of AI, capitalize on what makes you unique
Authentic leadership is crucial in the AI era, emphasizing genuine, transparent, and ethical behavior. This leadership style is especially well-suited for success in the age of AI.
New technologies demand new skills, and leaders must be well-prepared for constant change in the new age of AI. Change is difficult, as is upgrading the skills needed in today’s workforce. Authentic leaders are those who can successfully guide their organizations through these challenging transitions.
To navigate the challenges of AI disruption, companies should focus on cultivating authentic leadership. Research indicates that feeling authentic at work results in increased engagement, greater workplace satisfaction, and improved performance.
However, scholars have pointed out that women often face pressure to conform to gender stereotypes at work, resulting in behaviors that may conflict with their personal values or beliefs. Women must navigate mixed expectations and systemic biases, making the pursuit of authentic leadership especially complex and limited.
Authentic leadership is particularly challenging for women leaders due to its gendered and individualistic roots. Women encounter a double bind, feeling compelled to display both stereotypically masculine leadership qualities (e.g., assertiveness) and feminine communal traits, which makes it hard to express a single “true self.”
Additionally, organizational settings are often built around masculine norms, which undervalue relational leadership styles that are more typical among women.
Women leaders need to be empowered to bring their authentic selves to the workplace and realize their full potential by leveraging both their feminine and masculine leadership strengths. A key requirement for women executives is to be in an environment where their daily actions align with their values and leverage what makes us unique.
In the era of AI, elevate Human-Centered Leadership
By 2026, Gartner forecasts that over 80 percent of enterprises will have utilized Generative AI APIs or models and deployed GenAI-enabled applications in production settings. As AI continues to develop, it becomes increasingly crucial to uphold our core human values in leadership. AI can boost productivity and deliver outstanding results, but we should remember that when you genuinely care for people, high performance, innovation, and resilience naturally follow.
As we lead organizations forward into the AI era, it becomes increasingly critical to elevate Human-Centered Leadership. Human-Centered Leadership is a strategic approach that views people as an organization’s most valuable asset. By leading with empathy, trust, and a service-oriented mindset, leaders empower their teams to reach their full potential, leading to improved and sustainable organizational performance.
In one research paper, Elizabeth Goryunova and Robert M. Yawson found that the context of AI integration and volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments requires a multi-layered, systemic approach. Scholars propose a “nested complexity” framework that conceptualizes AI implementation challenges as multi-layered complexities spanning technological, ethical, and regulatory dimensions, which are nested within broader environmental complexities.
10 lecturas obligadas para entender la Inteligencia Artificial
To my bestie…
So, what is the answer to my best friend’s fearful question—what must we learn to become irreplaceable in the age of AI?
The answer lies not in trying to out-compete a machine in speed or data processing, but in fully embracing the very human capabilities that technology cannot replicate.
“Bestie, remember the importance of FBI: Feelings, Behaviors, and Impact”. Business is about how we can serve and take care of one another. The most important skills to develop are self-awareness, empathy, and the courage to lead honestly. As AI transforms the workplace, it also highlights the importance of human qualities such as connection, trust, ethical judgment, and care for those we lead.
The story of Fidji Simo and the imperative for human-centered leadership shows us that the future belongs not to those who use AI, but to those who lead through it. Just as in our friendship, I told her, ‘Create value.’ Share prosperity.
It is about leveraging technology to amplify our humanity, not diminish it. For women leaders, this moment is a powerful invitation to leverage your unique perspective, to integrate your strengths, and to challenge outdated norms. Be the leader your kids aspire to have.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is not a wave to be feared, but an ocean to be navigated. By steering our organizations with a compass of authentic values and a map of human empathy, we can ensure that AI becomes a tool for unparalleled empowerment. Deep inside, the business of business is people – yesterday, today, and forever.
Ultimately, the ultimate goal is not to be replaced by AI, but revolutionized by it. Our path forward is to harness technology to magnify our humanity, not minimize it. So, lead with your authentic self—your empathy, your ethics, your unique perspective. These are the tools that AI cannot replicate and the compass that will navigate us toward a more empowered and humane tomorrow. Sharing is caring! Share your authentic self boldly!
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Nayana Guerrero
Directora Asociada del Departamento de Gestión y Liderazgo en el Tec de Monterrey Especialista en liderazgo femenino, género, Inteligencia Artificial y negocios, promueve un liderazgo inclusivo e innovación ética. Doctora en Ciencias Administrativas por la UNAM, con estudios en Sciences Po Paris y American University; es profesora en la FCA-UNAM. Con más de 90 conferencias internacionales y 10,000 personas capacitadas, combina academia y acción para impulsar la igualdad de género y la ética en los negocios. Su trabajo conecta investigación, docencia y divulgación, promoviendo organizaciones sostenibles e inclusivas con perspectiva de género.y recibe contenido exclusivo
