AI Knows How to Do (Almost) Everything. Who Will Tell It What to Do?

Creative Leadership, Curiosity, and Vision for the Future are your greatest assets in the AI era

Why Creative Leadership, Curiosity, and Vision for the Future are your greatest assets in the AI era

Introduction

"Stop struggling." Artificial Intelligence is no longer a prediction; it's our operational reality. And let's be honest: it touches a raw nerve, especially for those of us – the creatives, the skilled, those who work with ideas – who until recently felt relatively secure in our offices.

We believed that our ability to create, analyze, and communicate was an impenetrable shield against automation.

And I confess: although I had been observing and talking about the appreciation of human skills and the changing world of work for years (since texts like this one from 2018 ), even I couldn't imagine the staggering speed with which generative AI would catalyze this transformation in professions that seemed so intrinsically "human."

The uncomfortable truth has arrived: generative AI has learned to do much of the work we considered exclusively ours — and with surprising success. Texts, images, code, analyses... the machine executes.

The Answer Is Not to Resist, But to Lead

The fundamental question is no longer about protecting the status quo or lamenting the skills that the machine has learned. It's about finding our new place of power and value: leading the creative and innovative process.

AI is an extraordinary executor, a tireless researcher, a powerful collaborator. But it needs direction.

Who points the way? Who formulates the essential question? Who defines the "what" and the "why" before AI can enter with the "how"?

The New Value: Inventing Tomorrow, Not Just Executing Today

Here's the crucial mindset shift: the greatest value no longer resides merely in executing complex or creative tasks, but in conceiving, proposing, and directing what needs to be done.

Leading, today, is:

• Observing deeply: capturing not just the obvious, but between the lines — the unspoken pains, the hidden opportunities.

• Being insatiably curious: asking "What if?" and "Why not?" questions.

• Formulating visions and hypotheses: transforming curiosity and observation into scenarios, solutions, paths.

  
  

It's this ability to set the agenda, to be the architect of the next move, that makes us irreplaceable. Once the vision is clear, then Artificial Intelligence enters as an ally in execution. But the initial spark is still human.

💊 Pharmaceutical: from technical salesperson to relationship strategist.

🏦 Banker: from product analyst to personalized financial advisor.

🛍️ Retail: from reactive buyer to curator of identity and experience.

In all cases, execution is optimized by AI — but strategic leadership remains human.

The Creativity that Leads (and the Storytelling that Communicates)

The most valued creativity now is strategic creativity: one that connects dots, proposes paths, and formulates good questions. And this requires storytelling.

Narrative is the tool that articulates this vision clearly and inspiringly — both to other humans and to AI.

An Unexplored Territory of Opportunities

This change can be scary, yes. But it also opens a new territory of value.

If more people can dedicate themselves to observing, having ideas, and designing the new — because AI takes care of execution — the potential for progress is enormous. But this requires an active stance, deep curiosity, and creative leadership.

Conclusion: Your Future Is in Your Ability to Lead AI (and Yourself)

AI knows how to do (almost) everything we ask. But who will know what to ask?

Your value hasn't disappeared. It has merely migrated: from execution to vision, from task to strategy, from answer to powerful question.

How are you preparing to be the creative leader who defines the next step — and not just executes the last one?

💡 If you want support in this process, check out the lecture AI and Human Intelligence: The New Equation of Creativity and Leadership at Work. It was designed exactly for this.

Leandro Waldvogel is a consultant in Innovation and Artificial Intelligence, a specialist in Storytelling, and a former Disney Cast Member. Creator of the Fabula Hominis project, he helps companies and individuals understand, navigate, and take advantage of the new reality where humans and machines build together the next chapters of history.