The Círculo Ecuestre held a breakfast discussion with the participation of Xavier Marcet, president of Lead To Change and of the EUNCET Board of Trustees. The event was presented by Tirso Gracia, member of the Círculo Ecuestre's Governing Board, and moderated by Silvia Agenjo, advisor to Cacaolat and member of the Círculo Ecuestre.
During his presentation, Xavier Marcet offered a strategic reflection on the real impact of artificial intelligence on business management, structuring his analysis around three main areas: the economic, the managerial-social, and the humanistic.
On the economic front, the expert explained that artificial intelligence is still in an intermediate phase of development and integration within organizations. He differentiated between analytical AI, generative AI, and the future agent-based AI, and emphasized that the real challenge is not technological, but strategic: deciding judiciously which decisions should remain in the hands of people and which can be delegated to machines.
Xavier Marcet reminded attendees that companies don't live off technology, but off their customers, and warned that as AI becomes more widespread, differentiation disappears without a distinct positioning, reducing competition to price alone. In the case of SMEs and professional firms, the expert recommended investing prudently and considering how customers will change with AI before making major technological bets.
From a managerial perspective, Xavier Marcet stated during the discussion that AI hasn't arrived to make managers think less, but to make them think more and better. He also defended the importance of questioning, the ability to synthesize information, and decision-making in uncertain contexts for corporate leadership. Furthermore, he expressed concern about the impact on young talent, warning of the risk of reducing learning opportunities if certain functions are automated with this innovative technology.
In the geopolitical sphere, the president of Lead To Change and of the EUNCET Board of Trustees championed Europe's role, acknowledging its weaknesses in competitiveness, but defending the need to preserve a business model based on balance, limits, and a humanistic approach.
Finally, he proposed a triangle of competitiveness, goodness, and beauty as the cornerstone for the future of business. He also maintained that companies must generate profits to survive, but not at any cost: goodness, understood as practical ethics and consistency, is key to building solid organizations. Beauty, for its part, represents the legacy that endures beyond immediate results. The meeting at the Círculo Ecuestre concluded with a call to maintain the founding essence of organizations while simultaneously adapting intelligently to an environment marked by technological transformation.