Why Executives Should Understand GPTs
GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer — a form of AI designed to recognize patterns in language and generate structured insight.
Executives don’t need to become technologists.
But they do need to understand what GPTs are doing to how decisions get shaped.
A PE-backed CEO recently shared a simple example with me. The night before a board meeting, he used a GPT tool to pressure-test his operating narrative. Not to write the deck — to challenge it.
He didn’t build anything custom or technical.
He used a GPT already embedded in tools many executives now have access to — a private ChatGPT workspace or an enterprise tool like Microsoft Copilot.
Here’s what he did:
Uploaded his board deck and a one-page summary of sponsor priorities
Asked the GPT to act like a skeptical PE board member
Prompted it to flag weak assumptions and likely questions
Ran a second pass asking which answers sounded defensive or unclear
The output wasn’t perfect.
But it surfaced two gaps he knew the board would press on — and he hadn’t fully addressed them.
He revised the deck.
The meeting went materially better.
That’s the point
GPTs are already being used by senior leaders to:
Stress-test board and investor materials
Support hiring and talent evaluation
Accelerate strategy and operating reviews
As Satya Nadella has said:
“AI is the defining technology of our time.”
The executives getting value from GPTs aren’t outsourcing judgment.
They’re scaling it.
This isn’t about automation.
It’s about clarity, speed, and better preparation in high-stakes moments.
Executives who ignore GPTs won’t be replaced by them.
They’ll be outpaced by leaders who understand how to use them thoughtfully.