IT Myths: AI will replace managers
27 October 2025
The myth
AI will take over management, so the role of the manager is finished.
Why people believe it
- Vendors sell AI as a silver bullet for decisions, scheduling and performance reviews.
- Managers spend too much time on status, reporting and admin that AI can automate.
- Some leaders confuse faster answers with better judgement.
The reality
AI doesn’t replace managers; it replaces managerial tasks. Good management is about outcomes, trade-offs, clarity and trust. AI can summarise, predict and assist, but it doesn’t own accountability. It has no context, no empathy, and no skin in the game.
What gets better with AI (when used well)
- Less admin: meeting notes, status roll-ups, action extraction, and follow-ups.
- Better visibility: trend spotting across tickets, incidents, OKRs and feedback.
- Faster handovers: clean, consistent briefs and runbooks.
- Decision support: scenario outlines, risks and options — not the decision itself.
What never becomes AI’s job
- Setting direction and outcomes.
- Making calls when information is incomplete.
- Building trust, giving feedback and growing people.
- Owning results. You can’t outsource accountability to a tool.
How to use AI in management (practical)
- Automate the paper cuts. Notes, status, reminders and handover packs.
- Standardise inputs. Templates for briefs, risks, decisions and actions.
- Make metrics visible daily. Dashboards that track outcomes, not busyness.
- Keep the human checkpoints. Managers review exceptions and make the final calls.
Watch outs
- Delegating accountability to a tool. You cannot outsource blame.
- Opaque prompts or hidden data use. If it isn’t explainable, it isn’t acceptable.
- Treating AI scores as truth. Scores are inputs, not verdicts.
- Letting AI set targets. Targets come from strategy, not autocomplete.
Bottom line
AI will not replace managers who set clear outcomes, make calls and earn trust. It will replace managers who only forward updates.