AI: the greatest managerial responsibility of the 21st century
AI is transforming the very notion of managerial responsibility. By automating not only tasks but also analyses and decisions, it puts the company’s reputation and collective intelligence on the line. In the symbiotic era, leaders must once again become the guarantors of discernment: knowing when, how, and to what extent to trust the machine.
From the digital revolution to the symbiotic era
With AI, the cycle of technological adoption has shortened dramatically. “Everything can change in a matter of months,” says Bernard Lewis, President of the Everience group. Unlike previous revolutions, AI is not limited to automation: it intervenes in reasoning, formulation, and decision-making.
Everience describes this transition as the dawn of a symbiotic era, where machines amplify humans without replacing them: “Humans retain the final say, while machines provide speed and rigor.” This new alliance places greater responsibility on leaders: to organize a meaningful partnership between humans and AI, rather than one based solely on technical efficiency.
Responsible use: a question of governance
The promised gains of AI sometimes mask the risks associated with uncontrolled use. Recent events have shown this: a large international firm had to revise a report submitted to a foreign government after allowing AI-generated analyses containing non-existent references and obvious errors to slip through. The case served as a reminder that the danger does not come from the technology itself, but from the failure of human control.
The same logic applies to the phenomenon of “workslop,” or work that appears flawless but turns out to be hollow and devoid of substance. This is the result of hastily delegating tasks to machines, which, instead of increasing efficiency, paradoxically leads to an erosion of productivity and performance. As Bernard Lewis points out: “As soon as you delegate without direction and control, value disappears.”
Hence the need for clear governance: defining uses, ensuring traceability, validating the deliverables generated, and specifying who bears ultimate responsibility. One thing remains certain: responsibility cannot be transferred to the algorithm.
Putting people back at the center of decisions
Everience promotes a culture of discernment, notably through the Symbiotic Academy, which trains employees and clients in the critical use of AI: mastering models, detecting biases, verifying sources, and protecting data. “AI can make mistakes. It must remain a partner, not an oracle.” We must not simply consume AI, we must manage it,” insists Bernard Lewis.
In this model, each employee becomes responsible for the AI they use: understanding its limitations, questioning its responses, and taking responsibility for final validation. The managerial role is also evolving: encouraging verification, creating a climate of trust, and measuring quality rather than volume.
Responsibility, a new lever for performance
The AI revolution requires a change in attitude: mastering what the machine produces, preserving the quality of language, protecting creativity, and ensuring rigor. “Performance is no longer measured solely in terms of productivity, but in terms of the quality of decisions,” says Bernard Lewis. “And the quality of decisions depends directly on the discernment with which AI is used.”
Adopting AI without a framework means losing control. On the contrary, the symbiotic era calls for demanding leadership based on assumed responsibility—an essential condition for sustainable performance.