As AI continues to permeate business life, companies are beginning to question whether they need AI expertise at the C-suite level.
According to LinkedIn, the number of companies with a “chief AI” position has more than tripled in the past five years and is up 13% from 2022.
Chief AI officers (CAIOs) “come on board to really align an organization’s AI strategy and goals, depending on existing roles and business needs,” said Anne Yarovoy Khan, advisor to the Irvine office of Fisher Phillips and a member of the firm’s AI, Privacy and Cyber and PEO and Personnel practice groups.
Not every company will need to come in and have an AI executive at the C-suite level, but AI executives are becoming more common. Here’s what HR professionals need to know.
The CAIO role is not defined, but requires a certain skill set
Right now, the role of the CAIO is new and perhaps not well defined. But a CAIO can do a number of things, Khan said, including developing an AI strategy with “an eye on long-term goals, including where the organization is going.” They can also oversee AI governance, consider AI privacy issues, mitigate the risk of AI deployment, oversee AI training and education, and ensure transparency in the use of AI i.a.
That person can’t just be a technical genius, he added. AI expertise is required, but the CAIO will need to join with others in the organization “to effectively execute the strategy and also ensure compliance,” he said, adding that an ideal CAIO ” would stay at the forefront of the changing AI landscape.” , incorporate executive leadership and work transversally.”
Because executive-level AI professionals are still relatively new, finding the right person for these jobs, or even knowing what they will do, will take time. That’s why it’s key that they have the right skills to execute whatever those goals are.
“Historically, jobs were defined by titles. But smart companies are realizing that they need to start defining the job as a collection of skills and tasks, not just titles,” said Ryan Roslansky, CEO of Linkedin at Talent Connect in October 2023 .” Then start thinking about how these tasks are required. change as AI continues to advance, and then what new skills we need to succeed.”
Determine what executive level an AI professional should be
While the CAIO title itself is a buzzword right now, that doesn’t mean every organization needs someone elevated to that executive level.
Sal DiFranco, managing partner of DHR Global’s global advanced technology practice, said there is more talk of a senior vice president or vice president of AI. He compared that to about 10 years ago, when customers were looking to hire IoT experts at this level, and they would report to the CIO or CTO.
A VP or VP of AI will make sense for many companies, he added, and they will most likely also report to the CIO or CTO. “They’re the ones who have the technology and know what’s going on in space.”
DiFranco recently interviewed a CISO candidate for a large retail company that is starting its AI initiative and leadership council in the CIO and CTO office, he said. The person holding the job will be the right person to lead the strategy to find a leader for the organization, and will most likely be an SVP or C-level reporting to the CIO.
Most of his clients looking for AI executives are looking for candidates who are experts in AI, of course, but also in machine and deep learning, he said. They may also need robotics experience depending on the type of company they work for, he added, such as manufacturing.
Having leadership skills and being able to explain technical topics to a non-tech audience will also make AI executives successful. “They have to be somebody who understands how to navigate an organization and all the functions of an organization. Is it HR, is it finance, is it sales, is it technology? said DiFranco. They have to be able to talk to the stakeholders in the organization about how AI will affect your function or line of business.”These influencing skills,” he said, “are absolutely critical.”
