Investing in AI? It won’t work without these people behind it

In all the breathless excitement about AI, transformation, disruption, automation, and innovation, there’s one small, inconvenient detail we keep glossing over, writes Rebecca Houghton.

Right now, AI is everyone’s favourite silver bullet.

According to PwC’s 2024 Global CEO Survey, nearly 90 per cent of CEOs are betting big, calling AI critical to their business strategy in the next few years.

About half expect it to boost profitability within a year. And more than half say they’re already seeing workforce efficiency gains from generative AI (GenAI).

But in all the breathless excitement about AI, transformation, disruption, automation, and innovation, there’s one small, inconvenient detail we keep glossing over: Who exactly is going to make all this work?

I’ll tell you who: middle managers.

Because while executives set the vision, it’s middle managers who make the change stick.

A 2025 BearingPoint study confirms it: middle managers are the linchpin of AI transformation. They have the trust of teams, the proximity to the work, and the operational grunt to make it happen.

But we’re asking them to carry the weight of the entire transformation – without a break, without a voice, and without the right tools.

At a time when they’re already running on empty.

Gartner tells us managers have 50 per cent more work than they can reasonably handle.

Deloitte says 41 per cent of their everyday is spent on work that doesn’t add value.

AI should be the answer middle managers have been waiting for.

Finally, a way to reduce the soul-destroying admin and get back to doing what they do best – developing talent, driving execution, and inspiring action in teams.

But instead, they’re overwhelmed and underwhelmed in equal measure.

And understandably, they’re a teensy bit cautious.

Because here’s the part no one’s saying out loud: the very group best placed to bring AI to life is also the one most worried it’s here to take their job.

According to McKinsey, most managers see AI as disruptive and anxiety-inducing.

For them, it’s more disruption, more uncertainty, and a growing sense that their role is on the chopping block. This fear is what’s creating a new “frozen middle” – and naturally, frustration will arise that they are not moving fast enough.

Would you? When you’re staring down a future that feels designed to make you redundant, it’s hard to get excited about being the one to implement it.

And yet, we still expect them to lead the charge. To drive adoption. To rally their teams.

The human brain doesn’t work that way.

Middle managers – or B-Suite leaders, as I prefer to call them – aren’t just people to keep informed. They’re your implementation engine.

And if they’re not on board, your AI investment will stall at the pilot stage.

And don’t get me wrong – I’m pro-AI. Massively.

But I’m also pro-driving strategy, not just buying a subscription, slapping it into Slack, and crossing your fingers it’ll transform the business before the next board meeting.

AI can deliver extraordinary outcomes – but only when it’s implemented by the people who understand how your business actually works.

That means giving your B-suite leaders the clarity, capability, and confidence to lead the charge.

If we want a real transformation? We need to stop faffing around.

The question isn’t, “How do we roll out AI?”

It’s: “How do we use AI to free up our B-suite leaders so they can focus on the high-value work only humans can do?”

Start with what’s actually eating their time. Reports. Forms. Leave approvals. Talent assessments. Performance reviews. The whole “50 per cent more than they can handle” bit. Then build or adopt a targeted AI assistant that eats those tasks for breakfast – and give your managers back the time to lead.

Measure the before and after. If that freed-up time isn’t going into coaching, developing talent, and driving performance? Then yes, they should be worried the robots are coming for them (and the robots can – these are not the B-suite leaders you are looking for).

But if it is? That’s when AI becomes the lever for real growth.

Rebecca Houghton is a middle management expert, a best-selling author, and the founder of BoldHR.