AI is changing what work looks like and increasing the demands on the people responsible for guiding it. In fact, AI creates a paradox: the more it automates routine work, the more organizations depend on human judgment. As AI handles analysis, value shifts to interpreting ambiguous signals, weighing competing priorities, deciding under uncertainty.
That shift changes what is required of leaders – and the ability to take a more adaptive leadership approach matters more. It is less about having the right answers upfront and more about leading confidently through uncertainty, while maintaining direction and judgment as conditions change and pressure builds.
The harder question is what makes that kind of leadership sustainable over time. One answer: brain capital, which is the mental and neurological capacity required to sustain pressure over time. A new report, ‘Stronger Brains in the Age of AI’ ,from the World Economic Forum (WEF) and McKinsey Health Institute, Milken Institute and High Lantern Group (part of Council Advisors) points to why and how brain capital might matter most now – for leaders, for organizations, and for the future.
Brain capital combines brain health (the ability to focus, regulate emotion, and function effectively) with brain skills (analytical thinking, adaptability, and learning agility). Together, these help shape whether leaders can navigate uncertainty and sustain performance when pressure builds.
Findings from an earlier WEF report in 2025 are compelling: 59% of employees will need enhanced capabilities and new skills by 2030, with brain skills representing the largest gap. Yet it is questionable how many organizations are considering whether their people have the cognitive capacity to develop these skills while meeting current demands. Brain health conditions account for roughly a quarter of the global disease burden. In organizations, this can show up as fatigue, attrition, and declining resilience, often concentrated in roles critical to execution. The report cautions that without deliberate investment, rising cognitive demands risk exacerbating these existing pressures.
The good news: the report finds that scaling proven brain health interventions could generate up to $6.2 trillion in cumulative GDP gains globally. But the leadership imperative is more pressing. As AI accelerates decision cycles and raises complexity, advantage will come less from deploying smarter tools. Instead, it will come from leaders’ ability to guide people through uncertainty and enable learning, experimentation, and sound judgment when the path forward isn’t yet clear.
AI shifts work from execution to interpretation, creating three specific pressures:
Without deliberate investment in brain capital, these pressures compound. Under sustained cognitive load, judgment and resilience can weaken.
Recognizing these demands is the first step; responding to them requires a strategic framework. There is meaningful work underway to elevate brain capital as critical infrastructure for organizational performance through the Global Brain Economy Initiative, led by Rice University, which is supported by High Lantern Group. The challenge isn’t what teams know about AI, but whether they have the cognitive and emotional capacity to apply it under real conditions.
For leaders this requires asking:
Brain capital is ultimately a leadership issue. As AI becomes more embedded in daily operations and reshapes how work is done, the limiting factor is often not access to technology, but whether people have the capacity to use it well under pressure. The importance of brain capital in sustaining performance and resilience should not be underestimated.
The latest WEF report identifies five levers for building brain capital that made be needed as this shift unfolds:
For leaders implementing AI, this shifts the focus. The issue is not just where AI is deployed, but where human judgment carries the most weight — and whether roles, workflows, and expectations protect the mental capacity required to make those decisions well.
Adaptive leadership in the age of AI means ensuring that the people making consequential decisions can do so consistently, under pressure, over time. As the report puts it, “stronger brains build stronger businesses.”
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