Executives are using AI to make strategic decisions, showing how far things have progressed. AI is becoming an indispensable tool at the highest levels of decision-making.
Peter Tonagh, chairman of media company GTN, didn’t just use generative AI as a writing assistant—he relied on it as a strategic advisor. Faced with a takeover bid just 30 minutes before the stock market opened, he turned to a custom-trained version of Anthropic’s Claude for immediate guidance. Within minutes, it summarized a 60-page takeover bid, outlined key steps he needed to take as chairman, and even helped draft regulatory filings.
This isn’t a one-off case. Across industries, executives are increasingly treating AI as a “thought partner,” using it to synthesize complex information, simulate decision-making scenarios, and even create digital twins of themselves to coach others. The shift is changing the role of leadership, making AI literacy just as important as financial or operational acumen.
Beyond Emails and Speechwriting: AI as a Strategic Tool
For many executives, generative AI started as a simple productivity hack—summarizing long documents, drafting speeches, or generating first drafts of reports. But the real power of AI isn’t in replacing assistants; it’s in augmenting decision-making.
Consider Quantium CEO Adam Driussi, who uses AI not just to generate content, but also to simulate business scenarios, analyze company structures, and provide strategic recommendations. Or Gilbert + Tobin CEO Sam Nickless, who uses AI to predict stakeholder reactions to corporate communications before sending them out. These leaders aren’t using AI just to save time—they’re using it to gain an edge.
Digital Twins: The Next Evolution in Executive Coaching?
One of the more intriguing applications of AI in leadership is the creation of digital twins—AI models trained on an executive’s tone, style, and decision-making patterns. By feeding AI past emails, performance reviews, and strategic decisions, leaders like Driussi and Nickless are essentially cloning their thinking processes.
Why does this matter? Because executives, by nature, are bottlenecks. Their experience is invaluable, but they can’t personally review every document, coach every team member, or provide real-time feedback on every project. AI-trained digital twins can act as stand-ins, reviewing drafts, providing feedback, and even anticipating the kinds of questions an executive might ask.
This isn’t about replacing leadership; it’s about scaling it. The same way AI-powered chatbots have allowed customer service teams to handle a higher volume of inquiries, AI-driven digital twins could allow executives to extend their influence without burning out.
AI and Decision-Making: The Human-AI Hybrid Model
Despite the power of AI, executives who use it effectively emphasize one thing: it’s a thought partner, not a decision-maker. Tonagh, for example, didn’t blindly follow AI’s advice—he used it as a way to speed up analysis and identify blind spots.
The best decision-making model isn’t human vs. AI, but human + AI. AI can process vast amounts of information in seconds, recognize patterns, and suggest potential actions—but it still lacks the judgment, intuition, and context that human leaders bring. The companies that integrate AI thoughtfully into leadership decision-making will have a competitive edge, while those that resist will find themselves slower, less informed, and ultimately outpaced.
The Future of AI in Leadership
So where does this go next? If AI is already helping executives navigate hostile takeovers, make strategic decisions, and coach teams, what will its role be five years from now?
Some plausible scenarios:
- AI becomes embedded in boardrooms, with real-time AI-generated insights guiding discussions.
- Regulatory agencies and compliance teams deploy AI to verify that board decisions align with corporate governance policies.
- AI-driven leadership coaching becomes the norm, allowing executives to receive constant, data-backed feedback on their decision-making styles.
- Predictive AI models become more advanced, allowing leaders to simulate the long-term impact of strategic choices before making them.
One thing is clear: AI isn’t just a tool for middle management or technical teams. It’s rapidly becoming a competitive advantage for those at the very top.
For executives today, the real question isn’t “Should I use AI?”—it’s “How do I use AI better than my competitors?”
