DM is delighted to welcome Dr. Xiang ZHOU, postdoctoral researcher in organizational behavior at Sun Yat-sen University, to deliver a guest lecture detailed below. You are cordially invited to attend this lecture.

Topic: Exposure to AI Makes People Prefer Younger Leaders

Guest: Dr. Xiang ZHOU, Postdoctoral Researcher, Sun Yat-sen University

Date: October 16th, 2024 (Wednesday)

Time: 2:00-3:00pm

Venue: T1-302-R1

Abstract

Leaders are central to the success of organizations and nations, traditionally expected to possess significant experience, which has been viewed as a proxy for key leadership qualities such as wisdom, knowledge, and strategic acumen. However, the emergence of AI as a transformative technology is reshaping leadership prototypes, particularly challenging the conventional prototype that associates leadership with seniority. This paper explores how exposure to AI changes our prototype of leader age. As AI alters the pace of technological change and introduces unprecedented challenges, traditional experiences may lose relevance, and younger leaders are increasingly seen as better equipped to navigate in the AI era. To empirically examine this shift, we conducted three longitudinal studies and one experiment. Our findings show that greater exposure to AI is linked to a preference for younger leaders in both corporate and governmental settings. These results have implications for leadership selection, diversity, and inclusion policies, suggesting a potential redefinition of qualities that make an effective leader in the AI era.

About the Speaker

Dr. Xiang Zhou is a postdoctoral researcher in organizational behavior at Sun Yat-sen University. She received her PhD in management from Nanyang Technological University and her Bachelor in management from Renmin University of China. Her research interests include ethics, artificial intelligence, and the intersection of these two areas.

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