https://www.cantonfair.net/c/102-financial-services
In the age of Artificial Intelligence, many leaders think they have found the "perfect" tool. AI can track every worker, count every penny, and plan every second. It looks like a dream for any manager. However, AI has a huge "blind spot." If you follow it 100%, you might lead your organization into a trap.
Here is why AI is a flawed manager and how a wise leader should fix it.
1. The "Robot" Problem: AI Has No Common Sense
AI is great at math, but it is terrible at understanding "why." It only follows the data it was given.
The Example: The 1983 Nuclear Error In 1983, a Soviet computer system (an early form of AI) reported that the U.S. had launched nuclear missiles. If a "perfect" manager had followed the computer, the world would have ended. But the human officer, Stanislav Petrov, had common sense. He felt something was wrong—the data didn't make sense. He chose to ignore the machine and saved the world.
The Lesson: AI can see the "what," but it cannot feel the "context." It doesn't know when a situation is unique or when the rules should be broken.
2. The "Fragile" Problem: AI Breaks in a Crisis
AI is built on the past. It looks at what happened yesterday to plan for tomorrow. But what if tomorrow is completely different?
The Example: The Shipping Disaster Imagine an AI managing a global shipping company. To be "perfectly efficient," it plans the exact fuel and the exact route for every ship to save money. But then, a massive storm hits or a canal gets blocked. Because the AI left zero extra space (no extra fuel, no extra time), the whole system collapses.
The Flaw: AI builds "glass" systems. They are beautiful and clear, but they have no "cushion." One small mistake causes the whole thing to shatter.
3. The 15% Rule: Why We Need "Waste"
To fix the flaws of AI, a leader must force the system to be intentionally imperfect. I call this the 15% Rule.
A leader should say to the AI: "I don't want 100% efficiency. Give me 85% efficiency, and keep 15% as 'Extra Space'."
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15% Extra Money/Stock: This is your insurance. When the AI is wrong about the future, this "wasteful" stock saves the company.
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15% Extra Time: Instead of working 100% of the time, give workers 15% of their day to just think or talk. New ideas never come from a busy robot; they come from a relaxed human.
4. The Goal: Be a Leader, Not an Operator
In the future, a "mediocre" manager will just do what the AI says. They will be efficient but brittle.
A wise leader uses AI to do the boring math, but they spend their own time on the things AI can't do:
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Empathy: Understanding why an employee is sad or tired.
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Ethics: Deciding what is "right," not just what is "cheap."
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Creativity: Dreaming of a future that isn't in the data.
AI is a powerful tool, but it is a cold and fragile boss. It can help you win the "sprint" of daily tasks, but it might make you lose the "marathon" of long-term survival.
Management is not about being a perfect machine. It is about protecting the "messy," "wasteful," and "creative" parts of being human.