"The Day AI Becomes the Boss" is Surprisingly Close — Why 56% of Business Leaders Believe "Most of Their Work Can Be Done by AI"

1. "It's Not Just the Field That AI Will Replace"

The changes in work due to AI have often been discussed in terms of automating "routine tasks." However, what stands out in this survey is that the arrow of influence is also pointing towards the **decision-makers (business leaders)**.

According to research published by Hotwire Global and others, **56% of business leaders believe that "most of their work will be done by AI within five years."** Moreover, the same survey shows that **69% feel "more empowered"** by AI.

The coexistence of "becoming more convenient" and "being replaced" is at the heart of AI discussions in 2026.

2. The "Three-Stage" Change Indicated by Numbers: Becoming Colleagues → Becoming Bosses → Becoming Customer Agents

Lining up the survey results shows that AI's position is rapidly changing.

• 21%: Already feel AI as a colleague

• 62%: Welcome "AI employees" handling routine tasks

• 43%: Okay with being managed by an "AI boss" that handles task allocation and evaluation

• 82%: Rely on AI advice for purchasing decisions

• 32%: Trust AI to autonomously make purchases

Noteworthy is that AI is beginning to hold power not only in the "workplace" but also on the "market (purchasing)" side.
In other words, within companies, AI is becoming a "worker," and outside companies, AI is becoming a "buyer’s agent." Consequently, companies need to design not only explanations for humans but also ensure they are correctly understood, recommended, and chosen by AI.

3. "Work" Is a Bundle of Tasks, Not a Job Title: Hence, "Most Can Be Done by AI"

Hearing "AI does the work" can easily give the impression that entire job titles will disappear. But in reality, work is a collection of tasks.
AI excels in areas like information gathering, organization, summarization, comparison, initial draft creation, routine decision-making, and workflow execution, which are easily decomposable and rule-based areas. On the other hand, areas dealing with "consensus" such as interest adjustment, value judgment, accountability, ethical judgment, and trust-building are likely to remain.

Therefore, the issue is not "being taken over by AI" but rather,
**"Where will the focus of human work shift as tasks move to AI?"**
If the leader's work shifts from "creating materials" to "designing and supervising decisions," indeed, it appears that "most of the work" can be handled by AI.

4. The Condition for AI Bosses to Succeed Is Not "Intelligence" but "A Convincing System"

While 43% accept AI bosses, the majority still have resistance. The essence of this resistance lies more in the conviction in evaluations than in AI's capabilities.

If AI is involved in evaluation and allocation, the following minimum requirements are necessary.

• Explanation of Evaluation Criteria: What was considered good

• Origin of Data: What data was used for judgment, and is there any bias

• Exception Handling: Where can humans intervene

• Responsibility Assignment: Who is the ultimate responsible party

The smarter AI becomes, the more likely "it's okay to be a black box" occurs. However, the moment evaluations are run as a black box, organizational trust is destroyed. The success or failure of AI bosses is determined not by algorithms but by governance design.

5. New Challenges for Brands: "How AI Summarizes You"

The survey shows that 60% are monitoring "how AI describes their brand," while **22% are not confident in the accuracy of AI's summaries**.

This implies that the battlefield for public relations and marketing is shifting from "search results" to "AI summaries and recommendations."

Future brand strategies will focus on "information hygiene" before flashy campaigns, such as:

• Organizing primary information (continuously updating official information)

• Clarifying easily misunderstood points (FAQs, comparison tables, evidence presentation)

• Structures easy for AI to reference (clear information location, minimizing outdated information)
  This will become effective.

6. SNS Reactions (Trends): Surprise, Irony, and Practicality Simultaneously

These kinds of numbers tend to ignite on social media. However, reactions are not monolithic. Following discussions close to this theme, three main trends are visible.

① Surprise and Anxiety: "Even the Top Will Be Replaced?"

The assumption that "only the field will be replaced" is shaken, and attention is drawn to "automation of decision-making." The short span of "five years" is particularly stimulating, and the view that "AI might excel in meetings and coordination" easily emerges.

② Irony and Rebuttal: "Is AI Really Delivering Results?"

Meanwhile, discussions about AI investments not delivering expected results run parallel. On platforms like Reddit and Hacker News, realistic arguments such as **"Ultimately, there's no visible ROI," "The introduction is cumbersome," and "The burden on the field increases"** are repeatedly mentioned.
Thus, on social media, there is a simultaneous existence of fear of "a future where AI does the work" and a cynical view of "isn't it overrated for now?"

③ Practicality: "Then, Be the One to Master/Design It First"

On LinkedIn, discussions tend to focus more on "how to design and control" rather than emotional arguments. As AI's autonomy increases, what is needed is not "introduction" but the design of operation, supervision, and accountability, a strong sense from the field.

7. What Companies Should Do Now Is Not "Introduce AI" But "Prepare for AI to Operate"

Ultimately, the success or failure of AI introduction is determined more by preparation than tool selection.
Specifically, the following three points are effective.

1. Decomposition of Tasks: Break down into task units that can be handed over to AI, and verbalize criteria and exceptions

2. Authority Design: Separate viewing, proposing, and executing, and gradually transfer authority (assuming logs and reviews)

3. Evaluation Update: Include problem setting, verification, risk management, and learning speed as evaluation axes, rather than just the quantity of deliverables

As AI becomes more of a "colleague," human value shifts from "moving hands" to "drawing boundaries" and "taking responsibility."

8. Conclusion: AI Becomes a Colleague, a Customer Agent, and Even a Boss—Therefore, the Human Role Is to Design "Boundaries"

These numbers can make for fear-inducing headlines. But that's not the essence.
As AI's capabilities increase, what becomes more important is the ability to continuously design what to delegate and what humans should handle.

In five years, the landscape of work is likely to change.
The question is whether you will become the "replaced side" or the "boundary designer." The turning point has already begun.

Source URL

1. Distribution source (GlobeNewswire) that published the survey highlights (key figures, comments, 60% brand monitoring / 22% no confidence, etc.)
   https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/01/21/3222718/0/en/56-of-Global-Business-Leaders-Believe-AI-Will-Do-Their-Job-in-Five-Years.html

2. The specified article (aktiencheck.de page: positioned as a reprint source of GlobeNewswire article)
   https://www.aktiencheck.de/news/Artikel-56_of_Global_Business_Leaders_Believe_AI_Will_Do_Their_Job_Five_Years-19389973

3. Hotwire's page explaining the concept of "Agentic Organizations" (e.g., "The Next Customer is an Algorithm")
   https://www.hotwireglobal.com/agentic-organizations/

4. Context of "AI investment not yielding results" (56% report no financial returns, etc.) reported by Reuters (related to PwC CEO Survey)
   https://www.reuters.com/business/davos/ceo-revenue-confidence-hits-5-year-low-pwc-survey-2026-01-19/

5. Primary information of PwC CEO Survey (breakdown of 56% "no significant financial effect," etc.)
   https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/news-room/press-releases/2026/pwc-2026-global-ceo-survey.html

6. Examples of SNS reactions (Reddit: discussions on AI investment returns and "hype precedes reality")
   https://www.reddit.com/r/investing/comments/1qi413x/majority_of_ceos_report_zero_payoff_from_ai/

7. Examples of SNS reactions (Hacker News: discussions on the same theme)
   https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46696636