We can now analyze information faster, write better, summarize long documents, build presentations in minutes, and explore ideas at a speed that was unthinkable just a few years ago. That's real — and it's extraordinary.
But there's also a silent risk: that Directors and CEOs, dazzled by these new capabilities, neglect the tasks that are theirs alone and irreplaceable. Deciding with judgment, reading people, weighing sensations and consequences in complex contexts, building trust, resolving conflicts between people — and ultimately, holding the company on course.
Recently, Jose Abadie shared this Harvard Business Review article, which I read with great interest. It raises a powerful idea: AI doesn't always reduce work — in many cases, it intensifies it. I immediately thought about its impact on executives and CEOs across Latin America. That's what we'll explore today.
The three risks
One of the main risks of AI is that it makes almost any task feel possible. And for a Director or CEO, that can be dangerous.
Suddenly, someone who should be thinking about strategy ends up designing marketing campaigns. Instead of having a meaningful conversation with a key team member who's disengaged, they spend time rewriting website copy. And instead of walking through the office and getting close to their teams and operations, they spend two days doing vibe-coding for an app that — almost — no one will use.
They're not doing it because they should. They're doing it because now they can. And it's fun. The problem isn't what they do with AI — it's what they stop doing, or do worse. The problem is that they've stopped leading, and that is their job.
- Makes better decisions than average
- Allocates capital correctly and more efficiently than others
- Detects opportunities ahead of competitors
- Develops leaders who are even better than themselves
- Protects the internal culture without drifting from strategic focus
- Represents the company to clients, partners, and investors
If they spend valuable hours on tasks that, while potentially important, could be done by others — they're abandoning precisely the place where they generate the most value.
Last week, I witnessed this firsthand through my work at Buho Advisors. Shared with permission, anonymized.
The CEO of a significant Latin American consulting firm (170 employees) started experimenting with AI. He grasped its potential and got excited. They were just about to commission a new corporate website. He decided to build it himself using AI tools. He dedicated three full days to it.
The result was acceptable — but far from the professional standard expected for a firm of that size. During those three days, he set aside at least:
- An important commercial negotiation where his presence would have resolved the sticking point faster and with less friction.
- Internal structure decisions that had to wait. Was it really wise to delay them, knowing these topics create anxiety across the team?
- Conversations with key leaders who needed direction, strategic vision, and — frankly — a pat on the back.
The primary task of an executive is not to work more. It's to decide better. And to decide well, you need mental clarity, perspective, emotional energy, focus, and real rest.
Here's another AI risk: because starting tasks is so easy, work becomes constant. "Let me just throw a quick question at it." "Have it draft something while I eat dinner." "Upload this file before bed and let it process overnight." "Check that wild idea on Sunday."
Without noticing, the CEO eliminates the empty spaces that used to serve as recovery time. First comes fatigue, then saturation, rushed decisions, shorter patience, worse listening, less creativity.
An exhausted executive reacts instead of anticipating, blows minor problems out of proportion, avoids hard decisions. Or worse — becomes impulsive, even aggressive or dismissive. You've seen it happen. We all have.
Decades ago, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi developed the concept of Flow or "The Zone" (1975): that state of deep concentration where a person performs at their best, thinks more clearly, and produces higher-quality work.
The Harvard article warns about exactly the opposite: AI threatens that state by generating multiple simultaneous fronts. A CEO can be nearly simultaneously reading an AI-generated financial summary, drafting a commercial proposal, and responding to emails with auto-suggested replies. It looks like productivity. It isn't. It's fragmentation.
Excessive multitasking produces worse analysis and worse decisions — short and long-term alike. It erodes the depth of strategic thinking, which is precisely the primary task of a Director or CEO. And when this happens to the CEO, the impact reaches the entire organization: inconsistent decisions, shifting priorities, confused teams.
Recommendations for Directors and CEOs
The Harvard article proposes building an "AI practice" — clear norms for using it intelligently. Applied to the executive world, here's what I'd suggest:
Intentional pauses
Before any meaningful decision, stop. A coffee, a breath. Ask yourself: Is this aligned with the strategy? What risk am I not seeing? Am I deciding while exhausted?
Prioritize and sequence
Don't respond to everything in real time just because you now can. Order and prioritize. Keep a bounded time block for exploring AI — then get back to what needs doing.
Deepen human connection
AI synthesizes information. People — especially executives — bring judgment, nuance, trust, and empathy. Invest more time in building and strengthening real human relationships.
Protect premium time
The best hours of the day should be reserved for thinking, deciding, and talking to key people. Not for designing logos, rewriting copy, or playing with prompts. 😊
I'm not here to argue that AI is anything less than extremely useful for Directors and CEOs. Quite the opposite — I'm a committed advocate and an advanced user myself. That debate is settled: use it, full stop.
The conversation I'm opening here is about how to use it so that it adds rather than subtracts from the daily work of those who lead organizations. What remains deeply human — judgment, long-term vision, empathy, resilience, leadership — doesn't just still matter. It's more valuable than ever.
Buho Advisors — Technology advisory for boards in Latin America.
Real Experience. Strategic Vision.
Is your board navigating the AI era?
We work with boards and CEOs to make strategic decisions with real judgment — including how to integrate AI without losing the north.
Start a conversation →