Mika - The First AI CEO

Written by Christian Rossi
JD Candidate 2024 | UCalgary Law


When people think of Artificial Intelligence (AI) taking human jobs, they often picture more data-entry-like roles, which can be done without a human touch. However, this presumption is being challenged by an AI named Mika, who has become the first AI CEO. Mika is a research project created by Hanson Robotics, a Hong Kong-based engineering and robotics company known for developing human-like robots.[1] Mika has been brought on by a Polish company named Dictador, which sells premium aged rum from Colombia.[2]
 
Mika’s purported advantage lies in its ability to swiftly and accurately analyze vast amounts of data, enabling unbiased, data-driven decision-making.[3] The AI can also work 24/7 and is not subject to the same employment standards as a human CEO. The obvious downside of an AI CEO is its lack of emotional intelligence and inability to understand the more intricate wants and needs of humans.[4] Dictador, however, proposes a symbiotic relationship between Mika and a human team to balance and complement each other’s strengths.[5]
 
Hanson Robotics is using Mika to humanize AI.[6] With AI being a relatively new phenomenon, there’s a justified societal concern about the risks of granting excessive power to AI. Placing an AI in a management position allows society to witness firsthand how AI operates and whether it is worth continuing this trend.
 
For Dictador, it appears their primary purpose for making this move is to promote themselves as a forward-looking corporation. While Mika’s role details remain limited, it’s noted that the AI will be a board member and will be responsible for overseeing the Arthouse Spirits DAO project.[7] This DAO, or decentralized autonomous organization, is an exclusive community comprising high-net-worth individuals.[8] To join, one needs to possess a Dictador Non-Fungible Token (NFT). The funds raised from the NFT sales are then put into the DAO Treasury.[9] The DAO Treasury is backed by tangible assets, consisting of over US$50 million of the world’s oldest and rarest rums.[10] Members of the DAO get access to certain benefits such as discounted bottles, exclusive VIP events, masterclasses, having conversations with experts, artists, and blend masters, or they can redeem their tokens for a physical bottle from the Treasury.[11]
 
Mika marks a step towards a new world. Jack Ma, the co-founder of Alibaba Group, predicted that by 2047, a robot CEO will make the cover of Time magazine. However, that prediction may have been too pessimistic.[12] Having an AI CEO raises many practical questions that Dictador will have to consider. For example, what happens to the compensation that would have gone to a CEO? Presumably, part of the compensation that would otherwise go to a CEO will go to the operating and maintenance of the AI system. Still, as the technology advances, the costs of these systems will decrease, leaving additional capital for the corporation. Corporations will need to decide how to best allocate this money—whether it should go to the shareholders or whether the costs, which would typically benefit employees, should still be directed to employees. There’s also the question of who’s responsible if something goes wrong. CEOs owe a fiduciary duty to the corporation. However, is it possible for a corporation to sue an AI CEO? If the AI is at fault, who should be held liable - will it be the corporation, the creator of the AI system, or the employees responsible for overseeing the AI system? Apart from these questions, there is, of course, the broader ethical question of whether society wants AI to take over executive roles in corporations and whether hiring an AI system over a human is fair.
 
All these questions must be addressed before society becomes overly dependent on AI, but Mika will be the first step towards resolving these issues. It’s hard to imagine a world run by AI, but the future seems closer than ever. The story of Mika is one society hasn’t experienced yet, prompting the question: Is anyone’s job


[1] Vanya Gautam, “Meet Mika: The World’s First AI Human-Like Robot Hired As CEO” (9 November 2023), online: <https://www.indiatimes.com/worth/news/meet-mika-world-first-ai-human-like-ceo-hired-620076.html> [Gautam].

[2] Jamie Nonis, “Meet Mika, the world’s first AI CEO running a global company” (11 July 2023), online: <https://www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg/interviews/mika-world-first-ai-ceo/>.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Gautam, supra note 1.

[7] “Dictador announces the first AI human-like robot CEO in a global company” (7 September 2022), online: < https://dictador.com/the-first-robot-ceo-in-a-global-company/>.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Ibid.