AI in business: Transformation, tension and the human challenge

It wasn’t so long ago that access to information was a source of power. Today, almost everything we need to know is easily accessible through a phone. As Xavier Ferràs, Professor in the Department of Operations, Innovation, and Data Sciences at Esade, put it: “There’s a child in a remote country who has more information at their fingertips through their mobile phone than President Reagan had in the entire 1980s.”  

The comment, made at a recent Esade seminar on AI in business, says a lot about the moment we’re in. Already present in daily work, in decision-making, and in how organizations innovate, AI is undoubtedly changing the way we run companies. But the real story isn’t the technology itself. It is what companies do with it, and how they prepare their workforce to leverage it. 

Joining the discussion were Esade professors, Marcel Planellas, Professor in the Department of General Management and Strategy; Esteve Almirall, Professor in the Department of Operations, Innovation, and Data Sciences; and Emma Felipe, Senior Associate Professor in the Departments of General Management and Strategy, and Society, Politics, and Sustainability. 

A strategic shift, not a tech trend 

Starting around 2001, the internet was the last huge technological advancement that completely changed how businesses operated. Almirall says companies either “adopted” or “died” to the internet revolution. “This will also happen with generative AI,” he says. “The big questions are: How to adopt, when to adopt, what to adopt?” 

Is AI adoption in business a leadership challenge or a technical one? Organizations are adopting AI quickly. That doesn’t mean they’re doing it well.  

“The key isn’t just using AI because it’s necessary, but rather what problem will AI solve for the company?” says Felipe. 

Businesses should shift their perspective from the tool to the business challenge of how best to use AI. Examples are already emerging, such as L’Oréal’s use of AI to reduce product research time. The result is not only faster innovation cycles but also the development of more sustainable products.  

Innovation is accelerating, but so is pressure 

Ferràs noted that many companies feel constant pressure to experiment just to stay relevant. But without clear goals, experimentation can turn into confusion. 

“Employees are already using CoPilot, and ChatGPT on their own,” says Ferràs. “They are using it without the company knowing, and they are gaining productivity.”  

People are finding ways to work faster and smarter, but often outside official structures. Leaders may find that productivity is rising, but they don’t fully understand how or why.  

“There are also issues of data security, of potential data breaches. I think the whole ethical issue related to this will also be critical,” Planellas notes.  

Yet even as organizations start to use AI, the expectation to embrace new tools is increasing faster than many companies’ ability to guide that adoption. A good example came right after ChatGPT’s release, when companies such as Samsung had to restrict its use after employees uploaded sensitive code and internal documents. Staff were already using the technology productively, but organizations hadn’t yet put guardrails or training in place. 

Companies fail because they don’t prepare people to work with new technologies

The organization is what really changes

Felipe believes that the real challenge for companies isn’t technological. “I think the challenge is human,” she says. “Implementing AI is a problem of human capacity.” 

In many ways, this is where companies struggle most. New tools can be acquired quickly. New skills and new ways of working take much longer to develop. 

“Companies don’t fail because the technology doesn’t work, but because they don’t prepare people to work with those new technologies,” she adds. 

Almirall explains the potential of AI for business: “There are technologies that incrementally transform reality, meaning you'll be doing the same thing better than you were doing it before, and there are technologies that don't transform reality incrementally, but rather transform the organization itself and the way it exists. They transform reality.” 

For example, electricity brought a new form of lighting – the world already had lights, but with electricity, they were better. When banks started using the internet, traditional banking disappeared, and online banking became the norm – the business was totally transformed. For some businesses, AI will totally transform how they operate. 

The human question at the center 

The technology is there, but are human expectations, skills and leadership ready to make the most of it? Studies of internal workplace dynamics suggest not. Surveys suggest many employees are already using AI tools without formal training, guidance or approval, highlighting how adoption is moving faster than leadership structures can keep up. 

“Companies need clear communication and training. It’s unsustainable for employees to train themselves independently,” Felipe says. 

Managers must lead by example. “Leaders have to be the first to model the use of healthy AI in some way,” she adds. 

Only businesses that can focus on AI as an enhancement of human capabilities can achieve real acceptance from employees, otherwise they risk causing employee resistance. If the workforce views AI as their replacement, they’ll be unlikely to use it. 

The technology itself isn’t good or bad. It depends on how we use it 

Lights and shadows 

There are clear benefits to utilizing AI in business: faster innovation, improved decision-making, and new ways to create value. On the other hand, there are the risks: bias, lack of explainability, criminal uses, and the spread of fake content. 

 “But the technology itself isn’t good or bad, it’s neutral,” says Ferràs. “It depends on how we use it. You can kill a person with a pencil!” 

There are also implications for the job market that are already becoming visible. “Many junior jobs are being wiped out by these virtual interns that we all seem to have around us,” Ferràs notes. There’s a shift in how entry-level work is being performed, which leads to questions about how younger professionals will build experience in the future. 

Leadership is the real engine of change 

The driving force behind transformation isn’t artificial intelligence itself. According to Felipe, what will enable businesses to use AI effectively is “the combination of having motivated people, clear and continuous communication, structured and reliable training, and human leadership that puts people at the center.” 

Think of AI as a mirror. It reflects the strengths and weaknesses already present inside organizations. Where leadership is clear and people are supported, adoption accelerates. Where communication is weak and training is absent, confusion grows. 

Companies now stand at a moment where access to knowledge is no longer the differentiator. What matters is how that knowledge is used, shared, and guided. The child with a smartphone has more information than a world leader once had. But information alone does not drive progress. People do.