Chief AI officer

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A chief AI officer (CAIO), also known as chief artificial intelligence officer, is a senior executive position responsible for an organization's artificial intelligence strategy, implementation, and governance.^[1] This business role emerged from the rapidly increasing deployment of AI technologies in business operations,^[2] education, and government.^[3]

A CAIO is typically responsible for examining the short and long-term needs of an organization and guiding investments designed to help the organization reach its AI-related goals in support of larger business objectives.^[4][5] The CAIO is typically the highest AI executive position within a company and leads the AI, data analytics, or machine learning department.^[6]

The roles and responsibilities of a CAIO can intersect, interoperate, or even overlap with other c-suite technology officers such as the chief data officer (CDO), chief information officer (CIO), chief technology officer (CTO), and chief information security officer (CISO).^[7] The exact content and reporting structure varies by organization, but the CAIO frequently reports to the CEO, COO, or CTO^[1]

The CAIO is a relatively new position, driven by advancements in AI technologies, especially following the resurgence of deep neural networks.^[8] This revival^[9] of AI can be dated to the end of the last AI winter, marked by the 2012 ImageNet competition.^[10] With the invention of the transformer architecture in 2017 and widespread public adoption of large language models via interfaces like ChatGPT in late 2022, AI investments and competition for computing resources and talent have risen rapidly.^[11]

According to LinkedIn data, the number of CAIO positions has about tripled in the last five years.^[12][13][14] This highlights the growing acknowledgement of the strategic and competitive importance of integrating AI into business operations. A wide range of industries hired CAIOs at leading institutions. In healthcare alone, this includes largest organizations including GE Healthcare,^[15] UnitedHealth, UCSF Health,^[16] UCSD Health,^[17] Mayo Clinic Arizona,^[18] and Children's National Hospital.^[19][20][21]

On March 28, 2024, in response to the US Whitehouse Executive Order #11140 on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence,^[22] the US White House's Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum mandating all US Executive departments and agencies appoint a Chief AI Officer (CAIO) within 60 days.^[23] This mandate has been met with alacrity ^[24] with the Chief AI Officer Council convening their first meeting in December 2023, well ahead of the March 2024 deadline.^[25] On April 19, 2024, Senator Gerry Connolly (D-VA) introduced the AI LEAD Act, which would expand upon hiring AI leadership beyond the EO #11140 and OMB memorandum.^[26] Although the AI LEAD Act is still in committee as of mid-October 2024, it reflects widespread concern around AI legislation at both the federal^[27] and state^[28] levels with a focus on AI leadership in government.