AI won’t replace CIOs. It will expose the ones who can’t lead people
Executive Take
AI removes the technical cover that let weak communicators get by. CIOs who can't run a hard conversation with a peer will now get found out faster than ever.
Executive Summary
An executive coach who has worked with over 1,000 tech leaders argues AI is not reducing CIO workload but adding supervision duties, with new disputes like allocating AI token budgets between peers. Citing Microsoft, Deloitte and Gallup data, the piece says weak people-leadership skills, especially handling hard conversations, are now the main gap AI exposes.
Why It Matters
Technology leaders should note that AI is creating new scarce-resource disputes, like splitting AI token budgets, that demand negotiation skill, not technical skill. HR leaders should see this as a signal to prioritize coaching and conflict-resolution training for senior IT executives now.
Bizquad Perspective
Most companies are still training CIOs on AI tools when the real bottleneck is their ability to have one honest conversation with a peer.