Will AI Take Over Our Jobs? What the Rise of AI Means for Senior Leaders and Middle Managers
- Merve Kagitci Hokamp
- May 26
- 5 min read
You’ve seen the headlines.
You’ve heard the hallway whispers.
And if you’re a senior leader or middle manager, you’ve probably asked yourself:
“Is AI about to make my role obsolete?”
Or worse:
“Am I already behind?”
You’re not alone. Leaders I coach - smart, seasoned, highly capable professionals - are asking the same thing.
Let’s break this down. What’s hype, what’s real, and how should you respond as someone who leads people and decisions, not just tasks?
1. Will AI Replace Managers? No. But It Will Reshape Your Role.
Let’s get this out of the way:
AI isn’t replacing leaders. It’s replacing repetitive work.
A 2023 McKinsey study found that up to 60–70% of a middle manager’s tasks could be automated using current generative AI tools. That includes scheduling, summarizing meetings, writing performance reviews, analyzing reports, and chasing updates.
According to The Economist, administrative “grunt work” takes up almost a full workday per week for middle managers. Anything that removes the drudgery of tracking leave requests and formatting presentation decks will be welcomed by most leaders.
This is not so much about being made redundant. The name of the game is relevance, not redundancy.
If you continue to spend your energy on tasks a machine can do, your edge erodes.
But if you embrace AI to streamline workflows and free up mental space for strategic thinking, coaching, and creative leadership, your value increases.
2. Middle Management Isn’t Dying—It’s Being Rebuilt
Yes, AI is surfacing bloated layers in org structures. Amazon’s Andy Jassy has criticized middle managers who “want to put their fingerprint on everything.” Microsoft is reportedly trimming managerial ranks too.
The Economist again puts it bluntly:
“AI smooths the path to such lay-offs, many of which are warranted.”
But that’s not the full story.
Because what AI is removing are inefficient layers, not essential leadership.
Let that land.
As middle managers, you’re not just a conduit for updates.
You’re the one who translates vision into execution. Strategy into systems. Culture into daily habits.
Done well, middle management is where the real work of leadership happens.
3. Your Leadership Edge is Making Meaning.
Today, everyone has access to information.
What separates good leaders from great ones isn’t knowing more—it’s knowing what matters.
AI can generate insights, but it lacks context, intuition, and emotional intelligence. You bring the nuance.
And leadership, at its core, is about judgment in context—something no LLM or bot can replicate.
4. AI Can’t Replace What Makes You Human
Can AI give you a dashboard of team sentiment? Yes.
Can it write your team’s quarterly review in less than 10 seconds? Yes.
Can it deliver trust? Presence? Motivation? Not even close.
If AI allows you to check in less, lead less, and automate empathy, you're outsourcing what matters - that's not good leadership.
Leadership is presence. It’s coaching. It’s clarity during chaos.
And people can spot the difference between a real conversation and a templated chat faster than you think.
5. Don’t Confuse AI Automation with AI Leadership
Let’s talk about a real risk.
The rush to AI can tempt organizations to cut corners—sometimes with unintended consequences.
Klarna, the Swedish fintech, was an early adopter of AI in customer service. But it recently admitted that in its push for cost savings, it leaned too hard on automation—hurting the customer experience.
The same danger applies to leadership.
Too many leaders replaced by bots will make you lose culture, cohesion, and long-term trust.
Gallup research shows that managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement. And engagement is directly linked to performance, retention, and innovation.
You can have too many managers. But you can also have too few.
6. The Future of Management: Human-Led, AI-Enabled
Gartner predicts that by 2026, 75% of organizations will use generative AI in at least one business function. And many already are.
But here’s the thing: The goal isn’t to replace you with AI.
The goal is to enable you to lead at a higher level.
Leaders I coach are already using AI to:
→ Draft internal updates and policy docs
→ Analyze 360 feedback faster
→ Translate global team communications
→ Run smarter team planning sessions
→ Roleplay difficult conversations before going live
One of my clients even used ChatGPT to rehearse a resignation conversation and reported it helped them show up with more clarity and composure.
This is what I call augmented leadership.
Not artificial. Not hands-off.
Just smarter, more focused, and more human.
7. But Training Is Still Broken—And That’s the Real Threat
Here’s a stat you won’t see in most AI roundups:
Why? Because we keep promoting high performers, not skilled leaders.
And then we give them tools but no foundation.
AI won’t fix bad leadership.
In fact, it can amplify it.
If you were already unclear, disconnected, or reactive, AI just makes that louder.
The only way forward is to invest in the fundamentals:
→ Coaching skills
→ Communication
→ Conflict management
→ Vision setting
→ Self-awareness
AI can support that journey. But it can’t lead it.
Final Thoughts: Will AI Take Over My Job?
Only if you let it.
If you keep clinging to status updates and deliverables, you will be replaced—by a dashboard.
If you evolve into a coach, convener, and culture shaper, your value will grow exponentially.
So no, AI won’t take your job.
But your old job description is already obsolete.
The leaders who thrive in this new era are the ones who learn fast, adapt boldly, and lead with a mix of efficiency and humanity.
As The Economist put it:
“Management can be learned. But it cannot all be codified.”
P.S. Curious how to lead with AI instead of being led by it? I run executive coaching and custom workshops to help leaders build AI-ready, human-first teams. Book a call to learn more.
Hi, I'm Merve! Here are six ways we can work together:
Book a 1:1 Coaching Session: Tailored to your individual goals, I offer in-depth guidance, a focused strategy, and results-oriented accountability to help you navigate your professional and personal challenges for meaningful progress.
Bring a Custom Leadership Workshop to Your Organization: I work with companies to design and deliver bespoke, high-impact leadership workshops tailored to their unique challenges and goals. Whether it's developing leadership capabilities, strengthening team dynamics, or navigating organizational change, I create sessions that drive real results.
Join Signature Leadership Programs: Designed for corporate leaders and business owners at all stages of the leadership journey, these programs blend 1:1 coaching with group workshops and training, equipping you to grow your career, earnings, and business success.
Subscribe to My FREE Monthly Newsletter: Stay updated with the latest in leadership and business with insights and musings delivered directly to your inbox.
Access FREE Worksheets for Leaders: Visit my website to access and download worksheets and workbooks that provide practical exercises for enhancing self-awareness, self-reflection, and fostering positive change in your leadership and team dynamics.
Follow me on LinkedIn: Connect with me on LinkedIn for daily updates, thought-provoking articles, and a community of like-minded professionals committed to continuous growth and leadership excellence. Join the conversation and stay inspired on your leadership journey.
