AI is quickly moving beyond rote tasks and into the realm of bigger-picture decisions that once relied only on human judgment. As companies treat AI as a thinking partner, the technology also introduces new risks. But the efficiency gains are hard to ignore, and companies are going headfirst into adoption.

“It’s very much like a chief of staff or a senior adviser,” says Stacy Spikes, CEO of cinema subscription service MoviePass. To Spikes, AI platforms are a second or third set of eyes, helping him approach vendors or handle tricky people-to-people situations. He says he treats AI as a sounding board, not a decider. 

“I’m not letting it make the decision for me, or letting it predetermine what I’m going to go in and do, but I’m having it give me a better understanding,” he says.

Spikes’s experience shows the tension companies face as they roll out early use cases. AI can help employees act quickly and with greater precision, but organizations are still weighing what works and what doesn’t, where the guardrails should be, and how to prevent judgment from slipping into autopilot. 

Across industries, leaders are now testing the interplay between AI and human judgment—and developing the processes that let the two work together.

Spikes embeds AI into his executive workflow. He likens it to how large firms use management consultants to map scenarios and risks as well as act as a sounding board. He uses AI to help with complex decisions across people dynamics, situational gray areas, and selecting external partners or service teams. ​​It could, for example, offer advice on handling disagreements among colleagues or partners, or offer alternate perspectives that challenge........

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