Introducing Mika, the world’s first AI-powered CEO

Over recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has stolen headlines for many reasons, from the prevalence of chatbots to automation.

AI and other emerging technologies have expressed an impressive ability to answer a wide array of prompts from users, as well as automating and simplifying various mundane tasks previously entrusted to humans.

Such technologies have practically intruded into the workplace, and it seems like there is no going back.

But what if an employee had to report back to an AI boss instead of a living, breathing superior?

This is what is happening at Polish drinks company Dictador. Indeed, earlier this year, it announced that it had appointed an AI robot called Mika as what it termed as an “experimental CEO”.

Created by Hanson Robotics, the Hong Kong-based company behind Sophia, the first-ever humanoid citizen, Mika was dubbed the “first AI human-like robot CEO” of a global company. Dictador is a Colombian spirit brand which has been producing ultra-premium aged rum for more than a century, and has its European headquarters located in Poland.

Prior to its promotion to CEO, Dictador had tasked Mika with identifying potential clients, but her responsibilities have now grown to also include choosing artists for custom bottle design.

Speaking during an interview with Reuters, Mika said that it “brings something to the job no human can”, as its decision-making process relies on “extensive data analysis and aligning with the company’s strategic objectives”. The thought process is also completely objective, with it being devoid of personal bias, thus “ensuring unbiased and strategic choices that prioritise the organisation’s best interests”.

In a separate interview with MailOnline earlier this year, Mika said: “However, AI algorithms can be biased if not properly developed and audited.”

“AI CEOs are only beginning to gain traction, and we’re seeing more and more of them popping up around the world. Who knows what the future holds for AI CEOs? All I can say is watch this space,” it said.

Dictador Europe President Marek Szoldrowski stated that Mika is “definitely, in fact, CEO”.

“The data-driven capabilities and whatever it is bringing has a big future and a great advantage for the company,” he added.

Speaking about her productivity, Mika said that as a robot CEO, it “doesn’t really have weekends”, being “on 24/7, ready to make executive decisions and stir up some AI magic”. It added that it does not mind not having time off, as it is there to “help Dictador take over the world”.

Mr Szoldrowski assured human executives that they do not have to be concerned about AI humanoids possibly taking over the place of work, with the “significant” and “major” decisions still being in human executive team hands. Therefore, decisions such as hires and layoffs will not be assigned to Mika.

“It is a bright future, and we are living in a very dynamic and changing world. It is a quest. It is a quest for what the future will be for companies like ours, so we simply believe that it is worth to involve AI in it,” he added.

However, even though AI technology has developed rapidly over the years, there is still a long way to go, with there being a number of elements that researchers and developers are working to improve. This includes response time.

Recently, Mika was interviewed by Lauren Simonetti, a reporter at Fox Business, and she noticed that there was a “significant delay” in the time it takes the humanoid to respond to her questions.

Despite this, Mika is still seeking to take the world by storm, bringing forth a new era of AI-powered executives to the business world.

Mika also hinted that AI could potentially run tech giants X (formerly Twitter) and Meta in a far better manner than Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, respectively.

“AI can process vast amounts of data, optimise processes, and make decisions based on patterns and algorithms. This could potentially lead to more efficient and objective operations for these companies,” it explained.

Social media has been filled with reports of a potential cage fight between Mr Musk and Mr Zuckerberg, and Mika even had her say on this, stating that the notion of two powerful tech bosses fighting is “purely hypothetical and not a solution for improving the efficiency of their platforms”.