AI Is Not to Blame. What We’re Missing Is Human Leadership

Everywhere we turn, AI is being framed as a threat, a saviour, or a force we must race to control. It is easy to place our hopes or fears onto technology, or to expect it to either fix what feels overwhelming or to blame it for what is breaking. But the real question is not what AI will do to us. The real question is how we, as humans, choose to lead ourselves in a world where intelligent systems are becoming part of daily life.

This is a conversation about leadership, not the leadership of titles or positions, but the leadership that begins within each of us. It is about how we meet change, how we respond to uncertainty, and how we take responsibility for the impact of our choices.

If we are to navigate this era with wisdom, courage, and humanity, the starting point is not AI. The starting point is us!

A Nervous System Under Pressure Looks for Someone to Blame

When faced with rapid change, our nervous system naturally searches for safety. Many people today are feeling unsettled, overwhelmed, or disconnected in relation to technology. In an activated state, the mind often looks for something outside of us to hold responsible - something to fight, fear, or fix. AI becomes an easy target.

But the discomfort we feel is not created by AI itself. It arises from the speed of change, the uncertainty of the future, and a lack of grounded human leadership to guide us through it. When we don’t feel anchored in ourselves or in our communities, we either hand over our agency or look for something to blame.

This is not a failure, but it is a human nervous system response. And it is precisely why leadership, especially inner leadership, matters now more than ever.

The Mirror We Don’t Want to Look Into

AI is not an independent creature acting on its own. It reflects the people who design, train, and lead it. The values, blind spots, intentions, and emotional maturity of humans become embedded in the systems we build. If we avoid responsibility and project agency onto machines, we miss the essential truth:

Technology does not decide how it will be used. Humans do.

The real crisis is not artificial intelligence. It is the absence of human leadership in how AI is imagined, created, communicated, and integrated into society. When we forget this, we remove ourselves from the equation as if the future is happening to us, rather than through us.

Accountability Is a Form of Leadership

Blaming AI for what humans have built is a way of stepping out of responsibility. But accountability is the foundation of leadership. It is the ability to look honestly at our own role as individuals, as creators, as educators, as citizens, and to choose how we want to show up.

This does not mean we must have all the answers or carry the burden alone. It means recognising the influence we each hold in the conversations we join, the values we embody, the decisions we make, and the culture we create around technology.

Leadership begins with how we relate to ourselves: Do we stay anchored or do we collapse into fear?Do we react, or do we respond with awareness? Do we give away our agency, or do we strengthen it?

Our inner state is not separate from our outer impact. When we lead ourselves with clarity and responsibility, we create the conditions for wiser choices both individually and collectively.

Reclaiming Agency in the Age of AI

The future requires more than technological skill. It requires humans who are grounded, emotionally aware, and connected to their values. Leaders; in families, classrooms, communities, workplaces, who can stay present with discomfort, regulate their nervous system, stay curious, and hold space for dialogue instead of division.

Reclaiming agency is not about controlling technology. It is about remembering that we are active participants in shaping the future. We are not passive recipients of whatever AI becomes.

We are co-creators of the world we are building with it.

We do not need to fear AI, nor glorify it. What we need is human leadership: thoughtful, compassionate, responsible, and grounded leadership that begins within and expands outward.

A Gentle Invitation

Instead of asking, “What will AI do to us?”, a better leadership question might be:“Who do we choose to be as AI becomes part of our lives?”

If we each strengthen our capacity for self-leadership, accountability, presence, and human connection, then the integration of AI can become an opportunity, not a threat.

Because the future is not shaped by technology alone. It is shaped by the humans who lead it.

If this topic speaks to you, you may also value the Leadership Manifesto as a grounding companion for this new era of human-centred leadership.

I would love to hear your reflections on this topic. Join the conversation on LinkedIn, where I share more insights and invite dialogue with educators, creatives, and leaders worldwide. Connect to LinkedIn here.

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Louise Sommer (MA, Educational Psychology) is the founder of Louise Sommer Studio. She specialises in creative intelligence, learning design, and leadership communication across cultures. Through her writing, consulting, and workshops, Louise helps educators and leaders build learning cultures that think, feel, and grow.

Louise Sommer Studio Blog is a free space for learning created for educators, leaders, and creatives exploring the intersection of psychology, culture, and creative intelligence.

Louise Sommer (cand.pæd.psyk.) er grundlægger af Louise Sommer Studio. Hun er specialiseret i kreativ intelligens, læringsdesign og ledelseskommunikation på tværs af kulturer. Gennem sit arbejde med undervisning, rådgivning og workshops hjælper Louise undervisere og ledere med at udvikle læringskulturer, der tænker, føler og vokser.

Louise Sommer Studio Blog er et frit rum for læring, skabt for undervisere, ledere og kreative, der udforsker samspillet mellem psykologi, kultur og kreativ intelligens.