Leaders in the Loop – Episode 07 – Designing Leadership for the Age of AI with Kathy Guarini

Leaders in the Loop • January 20, 2026

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In this episode, Dan and Gaurav are joined by Kathy Guarini to discuss how leadership must evolve as artificial intelligence becomes embedded in everyday organizational decision-making. Kathy brings extensive leadership experience in enterprise technology and research, including serving as Chief Information Officer at IBM, where she led large-scale technology, AI, and digital transformation initiatives. ----more----Episode Overview This conversation examines leadership as a design challenge, rather than a technology adoption problem. The discussion focuses on how leaders can intentionally design systems, roles, and decision processes that preserve human judgment, accountability, and ethical responsibility as AI capabilities scale. The episode situates “human-in-the-loop” as an organizational and leadership concern—not solely a technical safeguard. Topics Covered Human-in-the-loop as a leadership responsibility Designing organizational systems alongside AI tools How leadership decisions shape AI outcomes Algorithmic bias and unintended consequences Facial recognition systems as a case example AI literacy as a leadership competency The limits of analogy-based reasoning about AI Accountability in AI-supported decision-making Key Takeaways AI outcomes reflect leadership and design choices. Human judgment must be intentionally built into systems. Leaders remain accountable for decisions supported by AI. AI literacy is increasingly essential for effective leadership. Ethical responsibility cannot be delegated to technology alone. Examples & References Discussed Facial recognition bias and the work of Joy Buolamwini Research and advocacy from the Algorithmic Justice League Enterprise-scale AI and technology leadership contexts Resources & Mentions Algorithmic Justice League:https://www.ajl.org IBM:https://www.ibm.com Stay curious. Stay human.

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