Artificial Intelligence in Management: A Tool to Expand Managers’ Capabilities

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already part of everyday business life and is changing how managers work. More than a technology trend, it has become a management support tool that can increase productivity, organize information and assist with decision-making.

In my view, artificial intelligence will not replace the manager. It should help professionals carry out their activities more efficiently. Technology can process information, prepare analyses and automate tasks, but it still depends on the knowledge, experience and critical judgment of the person using it.

Over more than two decades working in the pharmaceutical and commercial sectors, I have witnessed many transformations. Today, I see AI contributing to different areas of management, including planning, process organization, communication, document preparation, customer service and market analysis.

Greater Efficiency Across Management Activities

In general management, AI makes it possible to produce reports, review texts, structure commercial proposals and compare scenarios in less time. Activities that once required hours of work can be completed more quickly. This does not eliminate human participation; instead, it frees managers from repetitive tasks so they can focus on strategic decisions and relationships with people.

In commercial operations, AI can help prepare proposals, analyze customer histories, identify opportunities and improve communication. It can also support domestic and international negotiations, including the translation and adaptation of messages. However, no tool fully understands the customer, a company’s culture or the particular circumstances of a negotiation. Professional experience remains indispensable.

The principal advantage of AI, in my view, is increased productivity. A manager who knows how to use these tools can research, analyze, organize and communicate information more quickly. As a result, more time can be dedicated to planning, leadership, negotiation and problem-solving.

Verification and Accountability Remain Human

There is, however, a risk that deserves attention: failing to verify the data and information produced by artificial intelligence. Some people may accept a technology-generated answer as necessarily correct. This behavior can cause errors in documents, analyses and business decisions.

AI may provide information that is incorrect, outdated or outside the organization’s context. Every piece of AI-produced content must therefore be checked before use. Professionals need to verify figures, dates, regulations, references and commercial terms. Validation must be even more rigorous in sensitive matters.

Responsibility for a decision cannot be transferred to technology. The tool can support the process, but it must not replace a manager’s critical analysis and accountability.

If a manager uses AI-generated information without properly checking it, that manager remains responsible for the consequences. Technology can assist the process, but it cannot assume professional responsibility.

Skills, Governance and the Future of Management

I also believe that managers who do not learn to use artificial intelligence may lose ground in the market, particularly because of the productivity gap. This does not mean technology will automatically replace them. Managers who master AI tools, however, may perform certain tasks more quickly and with higher quality.

Organizations must also establish rules for using these tools. Strategic information, customer data, contracts and confidential documents should not be entered indiscriminately into public AI systems. Information security, privacy and ethics need to be incorporated into internal policies.

In this new environment, human qualities become even more important. Leadership, creativity, negotiation, empathy, market knowledge and judgment cannot simply be automated. AI can present alternatives, but the manager must choose the best path.

Artificial intelligence should therefore be seen as a partner to the management professional. When used with knowledge, responsibility and careful verification, it increases productivity and expands a manager’s capacity to act. When used without critical analysis, however, it can turn speed into error.

The future of management will be built by professionals capable of combining technology, experience and responsibility. Managers will remain essential, but they must be prepared to work in ever closer integration with artificial intelligence.