Stepping into leadership roles has never been easy, considering the overarching tasks of managing a diverse cast of people, but in the era of AI, matters are growing increasingly more complex. In 2025, we have witnessed the arrival of digital AI employees and colleagues, along with an increasing number of AI tools being introduced to the workplace. These changes demand an altered approach to leadership.
From the supervision of such tools to the management of workers around this technology, the leadership of AI teams requires nuance and consideration. Leading AI agents haven’t become a central responsibility for many managers, leaders, and HR teams just yet, but we see a growing need for a transformation in the management of the AI-empowered workforce.
Leading AI teams comprising both manpower and technology requires traditional leadership styles to evolve with the changing times. (Image: Pexels)
It’s Time for Manager and HR Teams to Start Leading AI Teams with Greater Care
From financial institutions like BNY Mellon to retailers like Walmart, many organizations have deployed AI agents to bolster their workforce. While some of these agents take the shape of individual employees who are required to report to their own managers, others are mere chatbots that handle some degree of the dissemination of information but perform no other functions independently.
Employees who work alongside these tools are also being instructed to use AI in their own work, with the ability to adapt to these tools, even becoming a part of their performance reviews. Having to grapple with the arrival of AI has already been difficult for those who have lost their jobs as a result, but the impact has been equally severe on workers who are doing their best to adapt to the changing times while worrying about the future of their careers.
Ensuring the right tone of leadership for AI teams requires much of the same traditional skillsets that have been prioritized over the years, but there is also a growing need for a more informed approach to tackling the overlap of tech and humanity.
The Modern Frontier: Leading the AI Transformation and Managing AI Agents
AI is still a new and novel concept for the large majority of businesses, but most are keen on adopting the technology in the near future. The deployment of AI agents is not the first application of this technology for most organizations, but nonetheless, it requires preparation. Unlike their human counterparts, AI agents don’t require empathy and sensitivity, but they do require understanding.
While these AI agents won’t make a demand for better benefits or workplace culture, they likely will require detailed instructions on how to get a job done and the exact parameters that need to be met. AI agents are not designed to make voluntary observations or draw from team learnings unless explicitly taught to do so, making leading AI teams less about collaboration and more about clarity. There is no degree of charisma and competency that will impress the AI to improve its performance.
Unlike what some believe, AI agents are not infallible either. Just as Gemini is known to make up facts for its AI summaries, AI agents can also be prone to hallucinations. A word of caution and correction that may be enough to correct human error may not be sufficient with technology. These fluctuations between human capability and AI potential may appear minor at first glance, but they can have lasting effects on the company’s performance. Leading AI agents will be easier in some regards, but some complexities must not be overlooked.
Leadership for AI Teams Requires an Exploration of the Human Experience
Leading the AI transformation with AI agents is just one part of the challenge that awaits leaders. For the most part, human labor will continue to remain essential to any workforce, even if the nature of their roles and job descriptions evolves. Employees who are asked to utilize AI have concerns of their own, many of which they are likely to be afraid to share for fear of being marked as regressive.
Still, asking questions and understanding these concerns can mean the difference between effective and ineffective adoption of AI. Putting employee fears to rest and training them to use and interact with this technology is a big part of the responsibility of the leaders. Introducing new tech is not enough when employees are not sure how to make the most of it.
Effectively leading AI teams requires a division of responsibility between AI agents and human workers who use AI to ensure that their skills are best optimized. Apart from the delegation of work, there is also the question of ethics that often comes up when using AI. Navigating these challenges falls to leaders, and it’s up to these management teams to choose a course of action that benefits both the organization and its employees and customers.
Growing Calls for AI-Powered Leadership Also Threaten Leadership Roles
Just as organizations have grown comfortable with the conversation of AI employees, many employees have started opening themselves up to the idea of AI leaders. Many believe that AI leaders may be fairer and apolitical about making decisions regarding their careers, but there are also some reservations about allowing AI to handle matters that require empathy. We haven’t yet reached a point where AI CEOs run organizations instead of actual leaders, but that future may not be a distant one.
Even with such changes on the horizon, it’s hard to believe that real leaders are going anywhere. AI-supported leadership is certainly on the cards; however, it requires leaders to familiarize themselves with the technology as much as possible to understand its effects on the workforce. Leading AI teams and being aware of the needs based on their human-tech makeup is a growing challenge for leaders to face head-on.
The technological revolution goes beyond acquiring and investing in AI, and lands on how efficiently leaders are able to prepare for its real effect on the organization as a whole.
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