Entrepreneur And Investor Matt Haycox On Why AI Will Force Leaders To Get More Human

As artificial intelligence continues to transform how businesses operate, British entrepreneur, investor and business mentor Matt Haycox believes the next wave of leadership success won’t come from automation, but from authenticity.

‘AI is speeding everything up: decisions, delivery, competition,’ says Haycox. ‘What’s left is the human bit: empathy, judgement, presence. That’s what people follow when the pressure hits.’

Having built and backed companies across finance, media, property and technology through The Matt Haycox Group, he’s watched AI amplify both performance and pressure. For leaders, he says, the challenge is no longer mastering technology, but maintaining humanity.

AI Is Forcing Leadership Back To The Basics

According to PwC’s Global AI Jobs Barometer (2025), 55% of UK companies have adopted AI to streamline decision-making, yet 71% of employees report that workplace communication has become less clear since automation increased. Haycox sees that tension daily.

‘AI strips out admin noise, but it also exposes weak cultures,’ he explains. ‘You can’t hide behind processes anymore – you have to lead by example.’

He says the technology spotlights three irreplaceable human traits: trust-building, grounded judgement and resilience under uncertainty. Within his portfolio, leaders who combine technical literacy with emotional intelligence outperform those who chase efficiency alone.

From Command To Coaching

Haycox sees management shifting from control to coaching. ‘The job isn’t to know everything, it’s to help people outlearn the machines,’ he says.

A McKinsey Future of Leadership Report (Q3 2025) found that teams led by coaching-oriented managers are 31% more adaptable during digital transformation and maintain 18% higher retention under stress. Haycox says that resonates with his mentoring clients: ‘Leaders who teach, not tell, build teams that can handle change.’

His own mentoring and private business coaching emphasise ‘learning sprints’; short, high-impact projects that blend skill-building with commercial goals. ‘People remember lessons when the stakes are real,’ he says.

The Data Trap: Decision-Making Beyond Dashboards

For Haycox, AI doesn’t absolve leaders of responsibility, it multiplies it. ‘Dashboards tell you what’s happening, not what matters,’ he warns.

He encourages founders to interrogate their data, not worship it. A MIT Sloan Management Review study (2025) found that only 23% of executives fully trust their AI-generated insights, citing bias, incomplete data and misaligned incentives.

Haycox’s rule: never let a model make the final call where reputation, ethics or customer trust are on the line. ‘AI helps you see options,’ he says. ‘Only humans can weigh consequences.’

In several of his service-sector investments, blending algorithmic forecasting with customer interviews has corrected misleading patterns, what he calls dashboard blind spots. ‘You can’t scale ignorance,’ he says. ‘Reality beats data every time.’

Rebuilding Trust And Psychological Safety

As AI integrates deeper into decision-making, Haycox believes transparency is the new leadership currency. ‘Tell people what you’re using, why and how it affects them,’ he advises.

According to Edelman’s 2025 Trust Barometer, 68% of employees say they’re more likely to trust companies that disclose how AI influences internal operations. Haycox agrees: ‘If you hide it, people fill in the gaps and what they imagine is always worse.’

He recommends plain-language AI ethics statements, regular risk reviews and open Q&A sessions after major rollouts. His portfolio boards now link AI outcomes to culture and trust, not just revenue, which is an approach that mirrors what governance experts call ‘ethical scalability.’

Simple governance structures he advocates include:

• Monthly risk reviews with cross-functional ownership•
• Audit trails for AI-assisted decisions
• Escalation protocols when models contradict company values
• Board updates that track cultural impact alongside performance

Communication Is The New Leadership Technology

In hybrid and AI-scaled workforces, human clarity is now a strategic advantage. A LinkedIn Global Workforce Study (2025) revealed that leaders who communicate openly during periods of change earn 57% higher employee confidence scores than those who rely on top-down directives.

Haycox champions narrative clarity, explaining what’s changing, what stays human and why decisions are made. ‘People can handle uncertainty,’ he says. ‘They can’t handle silence.’

He models this transparency through his podcasts No Bollocks with Matt Haycox and Stripping Off with Matt Haycox, which together passed one million downloads earlier this year. ‘Audiences want truth over theatre,’ he says. ‘That’s the same thing teams want.’

Human Capability As The Ultimate Edge

The real opportunity, Haycox argues, lies in developing irreplaceable human advantages, like curiosity, adaptability and ethical judgement.

A World Economic Forum (Future of Jobs 2025) report found that while 85 million jobs will be displaced by automation by 2030, 97 million new roles will emerge that rely on problem-solving, negotiation and leadership, precisely the areas AI cannot replicate.

At The Matt Haycox Group, cross-functional projects now pair engineers, operators and marketers to co-solve end-to-end challenges, accelerating what Haycox calls compound learning. ‘Tools change,’ he says. ‘Human capability scales value.’

He also applies that discipline through MHG Wealth, his investment firm, helping entrepreneurs manage assets and decision-making with long-term stewardship. ‘Growth without control isn’t success,’ he says. ‘It’s chaos disguised as progress.’

Why Leaders Must Get More Human

For Haycox, the future of leadership isn’t man versus machine, it’s man within the machine. ‘AI is an amplifier,’ he says. ‘It magnifies who you already are. If you’re clear, calm and ethical, AI makes you better. If you’re not, it exposes you.’

He believes the leaders who will thrive in 2026 are those who treat humanity as an operating system, embedding empathy, accountability and learning into every decision. ‘Technology scales output,’ he says. ‘Leadership scales people. The real competitive edge now is emotional intelligence at scale.’

On the Matt Haycox official website, he continues to share insights on leadership, funding and business mentoring for founders navigating rapid change.