Artificial intelligence and groupthink: How directors perceive AI-augmented decision processes

Abstract

Groupthink has long been documented as a recurring feature of boardroom decision making, impairing collective judgment and, in some cases, contributing to major corporate failures throughout history. Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly introduced into governance settings, yet its implications for collective decision-making dynamics remain underexplored. Drawing on 20 interviews with Moroccan board directors, this study examines perceptions of AI's role in shaping groupthink tendencies. The findings suggest that AI-enabled decision support may enhance the informational basis of deliberation, encourage dissent through neutral feedback, direct prompting, and anonymized inputs, strengthen individual and collective evaluation processes, and augment collective intelligence in board deliberations. Nonetheless, entrenched cultural norms, hierarchical structures, and enduring human dynamics were perceived to constrain AI's influence. Building on these insights, the study introduces the concept of AI-mediated groupthink, contributing to research on small-group decision making, groupthink, and corporate governance, while informing governance actors about the potential and limits of AI-enabled decision support in boardroom decision making. • AI may mitigate some aspects of groupthink but is unlikely to eliminate it. • AI is perceived to enhance efficiency, objectivity, and board evaluation. • AI may foster dissent via neutral, prompted, and anonymous input channels. • Cultural, hierarchical, and human factors may constrain AI's influence. • AI is valued primarily for its potential to augment collective intelligence.