Is leadership still necessary despite AI?

And yet it is not the technology that lingers in my mind.

It is a much more fundamental question that quietly but persistently pushes its way to the forefront:

👉 If systems are capable of doing more and more—then what, exactly, is leadership still needed for?

The quiet shift in our organizations

What I am currently observing in many companies is not a loud transformation, but a quiet shift.

A growing hope that technology will take over what leadership has had to do until now:
Reduce complexity.
Prepare decisions.
Create structure.

And perhaps—unspoken—also provide direction.

But this is precisely where a dangerous confusion arises.

Because what technology can do is impressive.
What it cannot do is crucial.

👉 It can optimize processes—but it cannot set a direction.
👉 It can analyze data—but it cannot generate meaning.
👉 It can provide answers—but it cannot develop a stance.

And that is exactly where leadership begins.

When Networking Is No Longer Enough

A particularly striking example of this was Matthias Fiegl’s presentation.

A customer portal as a central access point, behind which a highly complex, interconnected system landscape unfolds. A knowledge network that reveals connections and intelligently links information.

Technologically, this is a huge step forward.

And at the same time, a question arises that often goes unanswered:

👉 Who sets the direction for this system?

Because this system does not replace decision-making.
And transparency does not replace prioritisation.

The more that becomes visible, the more important the ability to decide
what really matters.

The real challenge begins after the analysis

Discussions surrounding AI applications in customer service—from conversational AI to automated ticket classification and predictive maintenance—vividly demonstrate just how far we’ve come technologically.

But the real challenge doesn’t begin with the launch of these systems.

It begins afterward.

👉 What does this mean for our business model?
👉 How is teamwork changing?
👉 What decisions are we making differently now—and why?

Technology provides options.
Leadership makes decisions.

And it is precisely in this distinction that the future readiness of organisations lies.

People as an Underestimated Constant

One moment that resonated deeply with me was Verena Götz’s presentation.

A topic that seems almost overlooked in the context of digitalization—and is all the more powerful for it:
Health.

In a world that is accelerating at an ever-increasing pace, human resilience becomes the limiting factor.

Not because people are too weak—
but because systems often forget what they are built upon.

👉 Performance does not arise from the system.
👉 It arises from the human being.

And leadership determines whether this human being is seen—or not.

Leadership in Reality—Not in Theory

During the panel discussion on leadership—together with
Judith Widmar Stangl,
Jens Poggenburg, and
Tobias Flury—

this reality became very tangible.

It wasn’t about frameworks or concepts.
Rather, it was about the question of what leadership actually means today, when uncertainty has become the new normal.

And perhaps the answer is less spectacular than many expect –
but precisely for that reason, it is so relevant:

👉 Leadership means being present when others are seeking guidance.
👉 Leadership means providing clarity without having all the answers.
👉 Leadership means fostering trust before certainty emerges.

It is a form of leadership that is less visible –
yet at the same time has a significantly greater impact.

Antifragility: A Shift in Perspective

One idea from Sabine Gromer really sticks with me:

👉 Organizations must not only be stable—they must learn to improve through pressure.

This challenges a deeply ingrained understanding of leadership.

After all, many organizations are still focused on
avoiding disruptions, minimizing risks, and ensuring stability.

Antifragility turns this logic on its head.

👉 The goal is not to avoid uncertainty.
👉 Rather, it is the ability to deal with uncertainty productively.

And that is precisely why we need leadership that does not control—but empowers.

Service as an Expression of Leadership

Another central idea ran through many of the contributions:

👉 Service is not what companies do.
👉 Service is what customers experience.

The award-winning companies—
Stangl Reinigungstechnik,
Hollu Systemhygiene GmbH, and
Stiegl Getränke und Service GmbH—

impressively demonstrate that excellent service does not arise from processes,
but from attitude.

And attitude never arises by chance.
It is always the result of leadership.

The future of work is less uncertain than we think

Elisabeth Ponocny-Seliger’s insights distill many of the current developments with remarkable clarity:

People are not looking for more complexity.
They are looking for:

• Competence
• Relationships
• Autonomy

These needs are not new.
What is new is simply the context in which they must be met.

And this is precisely where the true role of leadership comes into play:

👉 not to create more structure, but to enable meaning.

So: Do we still need leadership despite AI?

My Conclusion

The question isn’t whether we’ll need less leadership in the future.

The question is what kind of leadership we can afford to keep.

Because one thing is becoming increasingly clear:

Technology doesn’t relieve us of responsibility.
It shifts it.

👉 Decisions aren’t becoming fewer—they’re becoming more demanding.
👉 Opportunities aren’t decreasing—they’re becoming more complex.
👉 Speed isn’t slowing down—it’s demanding more from us than ever before.

And that’s exactly why we need leadership that can do more than just steer.

We need leadership that:

• Provides direction when options multiply
• Sets priorities when everything seems possible at once
• Creates meaning where only data exists
• Empowers people instead of replacing them with systems

Because in the end, it is not the quality of the technology that determines an organization’s success.

👉 But rather the clarity with which it is used.
👉 And the attitude with which people are led.

Leadership does not become any less important.
It becomes the decisive competency.

Or to put it even more clearly:

👉 The smarter systems become,
the more conscious leadership must be.