Staying in the Loop

Abstract

Generative AI has fast become the next big thing and its influence on the profession of arms is underway. Unlike many technological innovations that have altered the character of war, generative AI is changing the way decisions are made as opposed to offering novel forms of weapons. This begs the question: What should the integration of generative AI into military leadership look like? This article offers some guidance by arguing that what makes leadership a uniquely human endeavor is the idea of character. For the purposes of this article, character is defined as a way of being consistent with one’s sense of virtues and habits, most notably the virtue of judgment. The article then offers the conceptual model of cynefin as way in which to provide the context for the argument that generative AI and leadership integrate in varying degrees depending upon the situation. Using an Explorative-Strategic scenario approach, the article finds that where generative AI has the most utility is in the simple and complicated domains where it can take on managerial responsibilities while it supports human-centric leadership under conditions of complexity and chaos.