Abstract
Leadership has a critical role to play in the adoption of the transformational technology of artificial intelligence (AI). As India leads the AI revolution, this study aims to understand the role of leadership in AI adoption, the necessary competencies required for leaders to be successful in the current era of AI, and the most frequently occurring themes in AI and leadership in India, in the last decade. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted in Scopus, on studies published in a period of ten years from 2013 to 2023. Findings show that the role of leadership in AI adoption is of paramount importance. The theories identified by researchers to infer different facets of AI and leadership research are elaborated. The mental and emotional competencies needed for leaders are emphasized for successfully navigating the AI era. Practical implications for leaders in organizations are discussed. This is the first study to review research conducted between 2013 and 2023 which links leadership and AI in Indian organizations.
TopIntroduction
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become the technological bedrock of worldwide digital transformation, as noted by the national association of software and services companies (NASSCOM) according to The Hindu Bureau (2023). Increased implementation of modern-day technologies such as AI, machine learning, and internet of things (IoT) has resulted in considerable shifts in the manner work is performed in organizations (Jain & Ranjan, 2020). More than any other topic today, AI occupies centre stage in boardroom discussions, strategies, and dialogue (Katyal, 2023).
AI is understood as “the machine’s ability to keep improving its performance without humans having to explain exactly how to accomplish all the tasks it’s given” (Brynjolfsson & McAfee, 2017, p.257). AI is defined as “a set of procedures that authorize computers to accomplish tasks that would otherwise necessitate the cognitive skills that human intelligence fetches.” (Kaushal et al., 2023, p.3). AI is defined as “Artificial tools that can automatically accumulate experience (i.e., make sense of objective environments) and constantly learn from past experience to perform cognitive tasks” (Pan & Froese, 2023, p.13). AI is noted to be the “potential of machines to impersonate the capabilities of the human mind” (The Economic Times, 2023a, p.3). AI-based solutions can be implemented across companies for task-automation, strategic decision-making, improved employee-engagement, and better customer-management. Hence, it is observed that organizations can achieve competitive advantage due to implementation of AI (Kar et al., 2021; Schrettenbrunnner, 2020).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Empathy: Understanding others’ emotions and the ability to feel what the other person may be feeling.
Artificial Intelligence: The simulation of human thinking by computers.
Systematic Literature Review: Use of systematic, specific and clearly defined protocols to identify and synthesize literature available for a given topic.
Leadership Support: The mental and emotional help extended by the supervisors or managers to their subordinates which enables them to overcome their challenges in an organization.
Leadership: An individual’s ability to influence a group towards attaining a goal.
Emotional Intelligence: Awareness and regulation of one’s emotions as well as emotions of others for effective interpersonal relationships.
Competency: Clusters of knowledge, skills and attitudes required by an individual to be successful at his/her job.
Moderator: A variable that has a notable contributory effect on the primary relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable.