AI is a leadership test

And what we can learn from China

1/19/20261 min read

After working closely with executives on AI adoption, one pattern is hard to ignore:

- AI fails when it is delegated.

- It succeeds when it is led.

WHAT USUALLY GOES WRONG

In many organizations, AI is:

- handed off to IT,

- parked in innovation labs,

- or left to teams to “experiment.”

The result is predictable:

- lots of activity,

- scattered pilots,

- very little impact.

Not because teams lack capability—but because experimentation without direction creates motion, not execution.

Without clear intent, organizations accumulate tools and use cases without ever changing how work actually gets done.

WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS

Organizations that create real value with AI do a few simple—but demanding—things:

- leaders engage personally (even before they feel ready),

- priorities are explicit,

- experimentation happens within clear boundaries,

- results are measured,

- and human judgment remains firmly in the loop.

In other words:

AI is not a playground. It is an execution accelerator.

LESSONS FROM CHINA

In many Chinese companies, AI is not framed as a future transformation.

It is treated as an execution layer.

AI is:

- expected to drive speed,

- allowed to be imperfect if results improve,

- not delegated,

- but mandated and monitored by senior leadership.

The lesson is not cultural. It is managerial.

AI IS ABOUT EXECUTION.

EXECUTION IS ABOUT LEADERSHIP.

LEADERSHIP CANNOT BE ABDICATED.