Image from Rawpixel AI is already part of your workday—whether you invited it in or not. It shapes decisions, filters information, and influences outcomes long before most professionals are asked for consent. You don’t need to “use AI” to be affected by it. If you work, apply, lead, hire, evaluate, or create, AI is already in the room. The real question isn’t whether to engage—but whether you understand it well enough to influence what it produces, who it serves, and whose k

Leaders don’t ignore culture because they don’t care. They ignore it because they think they already understand it. AI is showing us why that assumption is dangerous. Exposure without structure leads to blind spots, not competence. Table of Contents: The Overconfidence Trap What Research Shows Leaders Struggle With AI as a Cultural Mirror What AI Audits Are Teaching Us The 2026 Leadership Shift Building Cultural Intelligence: A Path Forward Executives commonly assume cultural