Can AI take over the C-suite?

Plenty of folks outside the C-suite are concerned about the AI revolution coming for their jobs. However, a shocking appointment by one Hong Kong company has got even higher-ups worried.

In August, online gaming firm NetDragon Websoft appointed what the company calls an “AI-based CEO” to helm Fujian NetDragon, a key subsidiary.

The result? A 10% bump in its share price – the company greatly also outperformed the Hong Kong stock market, as the above graphic by The Hustle shows.

The surprising move has spawned plenty of breathless takes on what this could mean for the C-suite, but perhaps the Tim Cooks of the world needn’t fear yet.

A NetDragon Websoft investor presentation from earlier this year hints at the reality of the experiment: The AI-based CEO is perhaps more of a metaverse marketing gimmick than a legitimate executive.

Tang Yu, the AI-based CEO, will “serve as [an] analytical tool to support decision making in daily operations,” according to the presentation.

Of course, correlation does not always equal causation, so the uptick in NetDragon Websoft’s stock price coinciding with Tang Yu’s appointment may be entirely coincidental.

Nonetheless, it’s an interesting concept. If AI could one day feasibly do what a CEO does, what couldn’t it do?