Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has an AI clone

While much has been discussed about what the AI takeover means for those in entry-level roles, it seems even CEOs aren’t exempt.

Uber employees have created an AI version of their company’s top executive, according to the company’s CEO. 

“One of my team members told me that some teams have built a Dara AI, you know, so that they basically make the presentation to the Dara AI as a prep for making a presentation to me,” Dara Khosrowshahi said on a recent episode of The Diary of a CEO podcast hosted by Steven Bartlett.

“You can imagine, like, you know, by the time something comes to me, there’s been a prep and a meeting of the slide deck has been beautifully honed,” he continued. “So they have Dara AI to tune their prep.”

It’s unclear exactly how the AI version was trained (the engineers won’t share the code with him, Khosrowshahi said), but Uber employees have replicated Khosrowshahi’s feedback style and decision making patterns to stress-test their work before they take it to the boss. 

“Are you concerned that they’re going to show Dara AI to the board?” Bartlett asked on the podcast, to which both men laughed. 

It’s the latest high-profile case study of employees using AI in novel ways in the workplace. 

Some 12% of employed adults say they use AI daily in their job, according to a Gallup Workforce survey of more than 22,000 U.S. workers. A recent Deloitte report revealed that eight out of ten employees believe AI can support their professional growth through tailored learning opportunities.

Here, Dara AI is a savvy response to the high-pressure environment Khosrowshahi admits he has created.

“We’re going to be really demanding,” he told Bartlett about working at Uber. “If you’re not performing, we’re going to let you know—and if you don’t fix it, we’re going to push you out.”

Khosrowshahi also addressed work-life balance: “Part of working hard is sending emails to the team on a Saturday and if I don’t get a response on Saturday, sending them an email on Sunday with a question mark,” said Khosrowshahi. 

“Don’t come here if you want to coast,” he warned.