The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in business is expanding rapidly, and organizations are recognizing the need for a dedicated leader to drive AI strategy and adoption. In 2016, Andrew Ng, one of the best-known researchers in the field of AI, wrote about the benefits of establishing a chief AI officer role in companies, as well as the characteristics and responsibilities such a role should have. At the time, the idea seemed somewhat far-fetched, that enterprises outside a few niche industries would require a CAIO. But the increase in use of intelligent tools in recent years since the arrival of generative AI has begun to cement the CAIO role as a key tech executive position across a wide range of sectors. With generative AI on the rise and modalities such as machine learning being integrated at a rapid pace, it was only a matter of time before a position responsible for its deployment and governance became widespread.
In a survey from September 2023, 53% of CIOs admitted that their organizations had plans to develop the position of head of AI. Of this percentage, almost half expected this position to be a member of the C-suite team. Another study by IDG from 2023 estimated that 11% of midsize to large companies already had professionals in this position and 21% were looking for someone to fill it. Then in 2024, the White House published a mandate for government agencies to appoint a CAIO. According to IDG’s 2025 State of the CIO survey, 14% of organizations now employ CAIOs, with 40% of those reporting directly to the CEO and 24% to the CIO. The role is increasing in prominence across the globe, with 17% of IT leaders in the APAC region indicating their organizations have a CAIO, 14% in EMEA, and 11% in North America.
Experts note that it is still early days for the CAIO role, but it is gaining traction. They say that the CAIO’s responsibilities range from governance and regulatory compliance to the integration of AI into the corporate culture, as well as external opportunities. Their ultimate goal is to ensure that AI permeates the most relevant areas of the organization and the industry in which it operates, without creating organizational silos. Industry leaders believe that the CAIO role is very important and will only gain in stature in the years to come. “In a corporate environment, centralizing, organizing, and governing the needs of artificial intelligence, as well as the way to address them, is key,” they say. “In this way, the entire organization can take advantage of the optimal adoption of AI as well as enhance the scope of use cases.”
Others note that one of the contributions of the CAIO role is that “it allows artificial intelligence to stop being perceived as a technological tool. It is not, and it must be considered as a strategic pillar aligned with business objectives.” Experts also emphasize that “it is no longer enough to define use cases or an AI strategy; now its success depends on effective implementation. That is why one of the main values that the CAIO brings is the supervision of the development, strategy, and implementation of AI technologies.” They add that the CAIO’s responsibilities range from governance and regulatory compliance to the integration of AI into the corporate culture, as well as external opportunities. “The ultimate goal of a CAIO is for AI to permeate the most relevant areas of their organization and the industry in which it operates. And without creating organizational silos,” they say.
Industry leaders agree with this distinction between technology and AI when addressing the definition of the position, which is in turn one of the keys to differentiating the role of CAIO from that of CIO or others that can be considered similar, such as CTO or CDO. “One thing is to guarantee the quality and governance of data. Another is to apply algorithms to the data that the company has, or that it generates: that is the field of artificial intelligence, whenever we talk about intelligent algorithms. And then there is technology,” they say. The CAIO position as such is still finding its prime location in the org chart, often assuming a position of medium-high responsibility in reporting to the CDO and thus, in turn, to the CIO. “These positions that are being created are very ‘business partner’ style,” experts say, “to make these types of products understood, what needs they have, and to carry them out.”
