Why AI Is Forcing Leaders to Rethink Business Models, Trust and Leadership

McKinsey’s 2025 global AI survey found that organizations seeing real value from AI are not simply adding tools to existing processes. They are changing strategy, talent, operating models, technology, data and how AI is scaled across the business.

Deloitte’s 2025 State of Generative AI in the Enterprise research found that AI investment is rising, but proving returns remains a major challenge. Its survey of 1,854 executives points to a shift from quick productivity gains towards agentic AI, governance, risk, trust and measurable business change.

Dr Alex Zarifis, a technology expert and Lecturer in Information Systems at the University of Southampton, brings academic and practical insight into how technology changes organizations. His work covers trust, artificial intelligence, electronic business, blockchain, FinTech and InsurTech.

In this exclusive interview with the London Keynote Speakers Agency, Dr Zarifis speaks on how leaders should rethink business models as AI moves from efficiency to value creation. He also explains how trust can be built during AI-led change, and why leadership must adapt as organizations begin working with agentic AI.

Question 1. As AI moves beyond efficiency gains and starts reshaping where value is created, how should leaders rethink the business models they are working with?

Dr Alex Zarifis: “Usually, when we add technology to a business, we are not changing the business. We are trying to gain more efficiency in the various things we do.

“But AI is very disruptive. It is not just being used for efficiency. It is replacing many people and many processes.

“We need to think about how we want to change the organization and what we want the organization to look like in five years, because it is going to be a long process. We do not want to be reactive. We need a plan and a vision, and then we can convince people to come on that journey with us.

“Some smaller organizations, and startups, can try different things. They are like speedboats. They can change direction easily and pivot.

“Large organizations are more like cruise ships. They cannot keep turning in tight spaces. They need to know where they want to be, where they are going, and take all their stakeholders with them.”

Question 2. Trust is often treated as a communications issue, but with AI-led transformation it becomes operational. How can leaders build trust in the technology, the business model and the change process itself?

Dr Alex Zarifis: “Building trust depends on many things. Different situations need to be handled differently, but being clear and transparent usually helps a lot.

“Everyone needs to know what their role is and how AI will be used.

“The key is not to create blind trust in AI, because AI has its limitations. What you want to do is be clear about what it is doing, what might go wrong, and what you need to be careful about.

“You need a good level of trust. Not blind trust, but enough trust to allow the organization to move forward together, without people pulling in different directions.”

Question 3. Leadership theory has evolved over decades, but AI is changing the nature of teams and decision-making much faster. What has to change in how leaders lead?

Dr Alex Zarifis: “Leadership has evolved very slowly.

“A few decades ago, more authoritarian approaches were popular. Whoever had the power would enforce it. Gradually, we moved towards leadership styles that were more about motivating people to get the most out of them.

“There was this slow shift. People like to talk about iconic leaders like Churchill and Napoleon. That was our comfort zone: looking at iconic leaders and trying to emulate them.

“But because of the increasing role of AI, and especially agentic AI, leadership needs to change a lot. Agentic AI will behave independently to a degree, a bit like a person. It will decide how to set goals, what data to use and how to solve problems.

“Because you need to be clear to agentic AI about what you want, you need to have at least some kind of transactional leadership.

“You cannot just focus on motivating in the way a transformational leader or a servant leader might do. You need some of that clear transactional approach: this is what we are aiming for, these are the resources we can give you, and this is what we expect.

“You might be dealing with people only. You might be dealing with agentic AI on its own, or you might be dealing with a mixed team of both.

“If you have at least some of that transactional approach, you should get the best result.”

---

This exclusive interview with Dr Alex Zarifis was conducted by Tabish Ali of the Motivational Speakers Agency.