Hank Azaria spent nearly four decades creating over 100 distinct voices for The Simpsons. But with all of the advances in A.I., he wonders: can technology really replicate his art?
His answer? “I’d like to think that no matter how much an A.I. version of Moe or Snake or Chief Wiggum will sound like my voice, something will still be missing — the humanness.”
As I read his reflections in this recent New York Times article, I couldn’t help but think about leaders.
Just like voice actors, managers are being augmented (and sometimes even replaced!) by A.I. and other kinds of technology. But can A.I. truly replace great human leadership?
I say no. And here are three reasons why:
- Great Human Leadership Is More Than Just Words
I love the way Azaria describes voice acting as being about more than just talking—it’s a full-body performance.
He writes: “Bodies and souls are involved to get the proper believability. When I first watched Dan Castellaneta (Homer) and Harry Shearer (Mr. Burns) recording, I was almost embarrassed by how silly they looked. They were jumping around and giving a full performance—to no one—just a microphone. It took me a while to get up the courage to do that, too.”
A great leader isn’t just someone who says the “right” things. Instead they bring their human to their interactions and are even willing to look—and be!—a little silly.
- Great Human Leadership Requires Improvisation
Improvisation is one of the most human aspects of voice acting.
As Azaria puts it: “When you play around with the dialogue, there are interruptions and a natural back-and-forth. It’s hard to imagine a computer being able to mimic that rhythm.”
Great human leaders might use scripts to get some conversations started, but they don’t attach to them! Instead, they listen, reflect, adapt, and pivot when needed.
- Great Human Leadership Isn’t About Perfection
A.I.-generated voices and faces are so on-the-nose, and so flat—so “perfect” in a sense, that they don’t feel real.
As Azaria says, “An A.I.-generated voice has enough little things askew to make you think there’s something missing. It just isn’t compelling or funny, in the same way that A.I.-generated faces in video seem to be missing elements that would make them believable and human-seeming.”
Likewise, what makes a great leader great isn’t perfection—it’s actually imperfection. It’s the willingness to be vulnerable, to make mistakes, and to own being wrong.
And then—and this is the most important part—to change.
So where does that leave us? For those who love The Simpsons and for those who love to lead?
At the end of the day, leadership—like voice acting, indeed, like any art—isn’t about having the perfect voice or following the script to the letter.
It’s about bringing the art of being human to a role that only YOU can play.
And that is something A.I. will never replace.
2/28/25
