AI is everywhere right now, and everyone is talking about it. But beyond the headlines, productivity hacks and automation demos, a more important conversation is emerging among senior leaders:
What if AI’s biggest value isn’t speed, but better thinking?
That was the focus of Hera’s first Olympus Leaders webinar, where Nicola Morse (Co-Founder of Hera) was joined by Michelle Wright (a fractional CPO working across PE-backed fintech and SaaS businesses) and Nic Finch (Head of Innovation Enablement at Cirium), to explore how AI is evolving from a simple assistant into a genuine strategic thinking partner.
The discussion brought together different perspectives to unpack how leaders can use AI to make better decisions, prepare more effectively and operate with greater confidence in high-stakes environments.
AI Is Not Just About Productivity
One of the strongest themes from the webinar was that AI’s biggest value is not simply speed.
While AI can absolutely improve efficiency, the real opportunity lies in helping leaders prepare better, process more information and make stronger decisions. Michelle Wright, described AI as a way to walk into every important meeting “with complete context and never be the person in the room that is underprepared.”
In regulated industries especially, underprepared leaders make poor decisions under pressure. AI can help close that gap by:
- Pulling together information quickly so leaders can see the bigger picture
- Bringing important context and insights to the surface
- Challenging thinking and highlighting blind spots
- Helping leaders feel more prepared for difficult conversations
- Supporting more confident, informed decision-making
Rather than replacing leadership thinking, AI can strengthen it.
You Don’t Need to Be Super Technical
Another key takeaway from the discussion was that AI is no longer reserved for developers or technical teams.
Michelle shared that despite never writing code before this year, she has spent recent months building her own AI-powered operating system to support her work, thinking and decision-making. The accessibility of modern AI tools means leaders can now learn interactively, ask questions in real time and tailor learning to how they think best.
Using AI to Strengthen Leadership
The panel shared several practical examples of how AI is already supporting leadership teams.
These included:
- Preparing for board meetings and interviews
- Summarising industry trends and competitor activity
- Acting as a “challenger” before high-stakes conversations
- Helping structure thoughts and sharpen ideas
- Managing priorities and follow-ups
Rather than replacing leadership thinking, AI is helping leaders refine and pressure-test their ideas before decisions are made.
Human Judgement is Still Crucial
The webinar also addressed growing concerns around overreliance on AI. Several attendees discussed the risks of people accepting AI-generated outputs without properly reviewing or challenging them.
The panel agreed that while AI can provide expertise and fast analysis, that the important part, accountability, still sits with the people using AI.
As Michelle explained, AI should be treated like “a brilliant but occasionally overconfident graduate or an analyst.”
That means to use AI effectively, leaders still need to:
- Not just copy and paste AI outputs without thoroughly checking them
- Properly check the sources AI is using
- Challenge assumptions
- Apply human judgement to AI outputs and how they are being used
Human oversight when it comes to AI still is and will continue to be of crucial importance within regulated industries.
Curiosity Will Define Successful Leaders
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the session was that the leaders who benefit most from AI are not necessarily the most technically minded; they are the most curious.
The organisations and individuals willing to experiment, ask questions and learn continuously will be best positioned to adapt as AI continues to evolve.
As Nic Finch explained, AI is helping people move beyond simply processing information and towards genuinely solving problems. For business leaders, that shift could be transformational.
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Hera’s Olympus Leaders programme exists to create exactly these kinds of conversations, bringing together leaders across regulated industries to share ideas, challenges and practical insights around the future of work, technology and leadership.
To find out more information about Hera and the Olympus Leaders programme, head here: https://heraconsult.co.uk/olympus-leaders/