The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Leadership Changes : An Analysis of E-Leadership and Large Language Models

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the effects of GenAI and large language models on leadership and managerial decision-making as well as human–AI collaboration in the workplace. The study examines the effects of GenAI on leadership, managerial judgment, and the nature of work and the employee experience. Design/methodology/approach – This is a review article and is not meant to be a systematic or comprehensive review. Instead, the objective is to provide a structured and transparent review of recent articles in Web of Science and Scopus. The review targets articles that address GenAI and LLMs in relation to e-leadership, managerial decision-making, and human–AI collaboration, published in English from 2023 to 2026. From the screening and duplicate removal performed by Rayyan, 17 articles formed the basis of the thematic review. Findings – The review finds that GenAI does not substitute leadership; it transforms it. Managers increasingly act as coordinators, interpreters, and validators of AI-based outputs. GenAI provides enhanced decision support by expanding information, options, and analytical capacity. However, GenAI also introduces risks, such as overreliance, hallucination, and reduced accountability. Human–AI collaboration poses risks to team autonomy and the meaning of work. At the same time, it can support knowledge sharing, employee capability, and task performance when it is used responsibly. Originality - This paper is unique because it connects Generative AI to socio-technical systems and e-leadership. It portrays AI-enabled leadership through the lens of structuring, interpreting, and governing, as a human–AI system.