Justin O'Brien

Part 8 of 17 of a research-based series exploring AI’s impact on leadership This post summarises the article The good shepherd: Linking artificial intelligence (AI)-driven servant leadership (SEL) and job demands-resources (JD-R) theory in tourism and hospitality by Han et al. (2026)

Can an AI ever truly be a “servant leader,” or is the concept limited to the human capacity for genuine empathy and community building? This research examines AI servant leadership in the hospitality and tourism sector, finding that AI’s cognitive dimensions—specifically conceptual skills and empowering—are significantly more effective for boosting employee job satisfaction by reducing job demands and clarifying role ambiguities. AI servant leaders excel at data analysis, task execution, and providing precise guidelines, mimicking human thinking using data analysis protocols. However, the AI leader demonstrates profound limitations in its capacity to convey authentic emotional responses and empathy, leading to a failure in crucial dimensions like “emotional healing” and “creating value for the community”.

The analytical strength but emotional weakness of AI leaders necessitates that human critical thinking focuses intensely on the socio-emotional and community gaps within the workforce. Critical thinking is required to determine the optimal boundary conditions for AI leaders and ensure that technology enhances, rather than diminishes, human connection and communal values. The “so what” is that human leaders must apply critical judgment to synthesize AI’s cognitive efficiency with the necessary emotional support and communal values, especially since AI leaders may not grasp the concept of shared values in a community.

The authors, H. Han, S. H. Kim, T. A. Hailu, A. Al-Ansi, S. M. R. Loureiro, and J. Kim, suggest that while AI’s cognitive functions are supported by their study, its emotional responses to employees are limited, reinforcing the need for human leaders. How must human leaders strategically apply their emotional intelligence to complement AI’s conceptual efficiency, especially in service-driven environments like hospitality?

#Leadership #AIinBusiness #ServantLeadership #HumanMachineTeaming #CriticalThinking #EmotionalIntelligence #Hospitality

Reference: Han, H., Kim, S. H., Hailu, T. A., Al-Ansi, A., Loureiro, S. M. R., & Kim, J. (2026). The good shepherd: Linking artificial intelligence (AI)-driven servant leadership (SEL) and job demands-resources (JD-R) theory in tourism and hospitality. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 133, 104470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2026.104470