Evaluating Ethical Foresight and Transformational Leadership Through Hitt’s Moral Framework: A Comparative Analysis of Yoshua Bengio and Elon Musk in AI Development
Abstract
<p><strong>Evaluating Ethical Foresight and Transformational Leadership Through Hitt’s Moral Framework: A Comparative Analysis of Yoshua Bengio and Elon Musk in AI Development</strong></p> <p>Author:</p> <p>Institution:</p> <p>Course:</p> <p>Instructor:</p> <p>Date:</p> <p>Referencing Style:</p> <h2>Ethical Leadership in Technological Innovation and Artificial Intelligence Development</h2> <p>Ethical leadership is central in determining the consequences of decisions in organizations and society. AI is one of the spheres in which the implications of technology choices are significant; therefore, ethicists are highly relevant here. One of the most important pioneers in AI, Professor Yoshua Bengio, said recently that he regrets creating AI primarily for innovation and not for safety concerns. These include risks such as loss of jobs, misleading information, and general harm to humankind. This paper examines Bengio’s ethical challenges, assesses his leadership style using Hitt’s moral leadership framework, and compares his approach to Elon Musk, a transformational leader whose decisions inspire admiration and debate.</p> <h2>Indicators of Ethical Shortcomings in the Leadership of Professor Yoshua Bengio</h2> <p>Prof. Yoshua Bengio’s leadership illustrates symptoms of ethical failure, particularly his lack of anticipatory ethical foresight. Bengio, one of the pioneers of AI, played a significant role in shaping the field's future, yet he failed to anticipate the associated risks. He has since come clean and said that he would have focused on safety and regulation had he known that the field of AI would grow as fast as it has now. The lack of attention to the ethical aspect of innovation, which characterized his earlier work, has resulted in a dangerous outcome (Kleinman, 2023). Bengio’s reaction to those concerns proves that ethical failure has a human cost. He explained he was a “lonely man” as far as his life purpose was concerned, and he compared it to scientists who built the atomic bomb—people whose discoveries had positive and negative consequences (Kleinman, 2023). This is why he regrets investing in this industry, even though it developed a machine that may pose a risk when misused, showing the ethical responsibility of investing in specific technologies.</p> <h2>Consequences of AI Leadership Decisions on Organizational and Societal Stakeholders</h2> <p>Bengio’s ethical shortcomings have had significant consequences for various stakeholders. On the one hand, AI progress has given society some benefits, such as new antibiotics and medical discoveries, among other bounties. However, “the wrong parties,” such as rogue states or even terrorists, still perceive the technology as vulnerable to abuse. Bengio’s warnings about these risks underscore the urgency of establishing safeguards to prevent harm (Kleinman, 2023). The advancement of AI technology has also impacted industries and workers, as organizations and companies utilize artificial technologies to reduce the need for manual labor. For example, Hollywood writers have recently gone on strike because they fear AI may take their jobs. They become a source to explain how disruption is inevitable but stems from the utilization of technology.</p> <h2>Application of Hitt’s Moral Leadership Framework to the Assessment of Bengio’s Leadership Style</h2> <p>Using Hitt’s (1990) framework of moral leadership styles, Bengio’s leadership aligns more closely with moral pragmatism than transformational leadership. Moral utilitarianism pertains to choices based on the country’s best interests in a given period without necessarily regard for moral fiber. Bengio’s initial focus on technological breakthroughs, against which he did not initially develop regulation or ethical measures, exemplifies this style. While his current efforts to regulate AI uphold morality to some extent, they coincide with the emergence of ethical issues. Therefore, Bengio's leadership style does not fully embody transformational leadership, which encourages individuals to pursue both personal and organizational values for the betterment of society. Unlike transactional leaders, transformational leaders come equipped with proactive managing skills, an appreciation for ethical dilemmas, and the ability to involve their subordinates in analyzing problems and finding more permanent solutions. That said, it is only recently that Bengio has taken action in the right direction. In earlier years, he lacked sensitivity to ethical issues and thus could not attain a changemaker position.</p> <h2>Transformational and Visionary Leadership in Practice: The Case of Elon Musk</h2> <p>Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and Neuralink, exemplifies transformational leadership through his visionary goals and commitment to addressing global challenges. Despite his ambition to address the traffic congestion problem, Musk prioritizes long-term goals, such as transforming current energy into renewable energy and transforming humans into an interplanetary species. All these demonstrate Musk's ability to mobilize society for change. This is a defining characteristic of transformational leadership. Musk's ethical leadership involves implementing an open-source policy for Tesla's electric vehicle patents, allowing competitors to access Tesla's technology. It bravely pushed the advancement of the electric car and gifted the environmental cause momentum.</p> <h2>Comparative Evaluation and Preferred Ethical Leadership Model for Future Practice</h2> <p>Between Prof. Bengio and Elon Musk, I would emulate Musk’s leadership style. Musk’s ability to combine visionary thinking with practical implementation is inspiring and demonstrates a commitment to societal progress. Regarding ethical drawbacks, his proactive stance, displaying how to lead when faced with significant questions of the era, such as climate change and the development of AI, shows his ability to meet problems directly. While Bengio's recent leadership has garnered appreciation for its advocacy for change, his chairmanship underscores the costs ethically minded individuals incur when they wait indefinitely. To emulate Musk, one must strive to be decisive and revolutionary, while simultaneously ensuring that the foresight is ethical, particularly as a leader and within an organization.</p> <h2>Integrated Reflection on Moral Responsibility and Leadership in the Age of Artificial Intelligence</h2> <p>Professor Yoshua Bengio also speaks about AI development, and his testimony brings to the forefront the importance of moral insight in leadership. His experience highlights the challenge of advancing through innovation without compromising safety, underscoring the crucial role of leaders in addressing ethical issues as they arise. On the other hand, Elon Musk’s transformational leadership is a positive example of how visionary goals and ethical global concerns can align effectively. From such leaders, future leaders can learn ways of foreseeing, flexibility, and moral responsibility consistent with change in our society today.</p>