Why should the CEO lead AI strategy in an organisation?
- Neil Marley
- Apr 12
- 1 min read
AI should be led by the CEO, not the CIO, CDO, CAIO or the CDAIAO (made that one up.)
AI is a business transformation not a technical one. It should a top 3 long term strategic priority for a business.
Of course you need finance, risk, IT and business input on the project but the ownership should sit with the CEO.
Why?
Technically led AI “transformations” result in endless technical POCs to prove technical capability. They spit out tools selected for feature compatibility, not ROI.
I’ve seen this play out live in companies over the past 12 months. They end up with an answer that does not solve the biggest challenges facing the business, so it falters and AI “doesn’t work”.
There also tends to be an approach that follows traditional deployment patterns (months of analysis and design and….). AI thinks in days."
If you are a CEO or business leader then my advice is to lean in, learn about AI and set direction. It’s not going away and if you miss the boat this year then next year is going to be challenging. There are companies in your space transforming to new cost bases and customer service experiences.
You will be left behind and firing your CAIO in 12 months will not help.
We are engaged with Boards that get this and we are delivering real world impact right now. DM if you want a chat.
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