What AI cannot do: why human leadership makes the difference today

Artificial intelligence is developing at a pace that organizations can hardly keep up with. More and more tasks are being taken over by machines. Yet Professor Nick van Dam does not see this as a threat, as long as we focus on the right question. “It’s not about how people can get better at what machines already do,” he says. “It’s about what fundamentally distinguishes humans from machines.”

That question forms the foundation of his new book Leading with Human Skills. Van Dam wrote it out of growing concern. "Organizations are investing heavily in AI capabilities, while structurally underinvesting in the human skills needed to use that technology wisely, responsibly, and in a people-centered way.”

According to Van Dam, we should avoid trying to win the wrong competition. “Tasks where technology excels - speed, precision, pattern recognition - are things humans will never do better. And that’s not the competition we should be in. The real difference lies in the human skills machines don’t have.”

Technology as a partner, not a tool

Van Dam argues that AI differs fundamentally from earlier technological breakthroughs, such as the industrial revolution or digitalization. “For a long time, technology mainly automated physical labor or accelerated information processing. AI now reaches into cognitive and social domains. It can reason, write, design, and hold conversations.”

As a result, AI is no longer just a tool at the edge of work, but an active partner in thinking and decision-making. “This doesn’t just change what professionals do, but also who they are in their roles. The focus shifts from what technology can do to what remains uniquely human in collaboration with AI.”

No mass job destruction, but a fundamental shift

As with earlier technological revolutions, Van Dam does not expect AI to cause mass job destruction. However, the nature of work will change significantly. “Repetitive tasks will disappear, new roles will emerge, and existing jobs will be redesigned.”

The human contribution is clearly shifting, he says. “Professionals move from execution to orchestration, from analysis to judgment, from applying knowledge to creating meaning. That requires different skills.” For leaders, this presents a clear challenge. “Which human qualities remain distinctive, and how do we deliberately develop them?”

What machines cannot do: the five I’s

In the book, Van Dam describes five fundamentally human qualities that cannot be replaced by AI, known as the five I’s: instinct, intuition, imagination, integrity, and identity.

“These qualities are often labeled as ‘soft skills,’ but in reality they are strategic leadership capabilities,” Van Dam explains. “They help provide direction, build trust, and create meaning. Exactly what organizations need in a time of rapid technological change.”

The biggest misunderstanding about AI

According to Van Dam, one of the greatest risks of AI lies in a fundamental misunderstanding. “AI appears to understand what it is doing, but that is an illusion. It can generate language, identify patterns, and communicate convincingly, but it has no consciousness, no values, and no sense of responsibility.”

This distinction is crucial. “AI can contribute to better decisions, but only humans can determine what the right decision is. Once we assign human qualities like empathy, moral judgment, or leadership to technology, we reduce leadership to a technical optimization problem.”

And that is exactly where things go wrong. “AI is extremely good at efficiency, speed, and performance improvement. But leadership is also about what is right, what is responsible, and what fits the context and the long term. That requires human judgment, not algorithms.”

Undervalued skills and a new form of leadership

Van Dam believes the most human skills are systematically undervalued. “Inner leadership skills such as self-reflection, intuition, integrity, and meaning-making are hard to measure and don’t deliver immediate KPIs. But in complex and morally charged decisions, they are essential.”

Leadership in a time when technology learns faster and faster paradoxically requires slowing down, he argues. “Not faster decisions, but better judgment. Not more control, but more trust. Leaders must be able to deal with uncertainty, conflicting interests, and ethical tensions. That requires human wisdom, not algorithms.”

Humanity as a strategic choice

Van Dam hopes leaders will more consciously choose humanity as a strategic strength. “The question is not whether we use AI, but how. Do we use technology to replace people, or to strengthen human potential?”

In a world where technology becomes increasingly powerful, it is not machines that make the difference. “The difference is made by people who take responsibility for how technology is used. Leadership remains people's work, perhaps now more than ever.”