By Expert Panel®, for Forbes Technology Council
As artificial intelligence becomes embedded across products and operations, more companies are adding a chief AI officer to the executive team. But creating a new C-suite role doesn’t automatically establish what that leader owns, how the position fits alongside existing technology leadership, or where decision-making authority begins and ends.
Without clearly defined responsibilities and reporting structures, a CAIO appointment can result in duplicated work, competing priorities and slower decisions instead of accelerated AI initiatives. Below, members of Forbes Technology Council share common mistakes companies make when adding a chief AI officer and explain how to prevent overlapping responsibilities from slowing progress.
Define When The Role Should Evolve Or End
The mistake is treating a chief AI officer as a permanent seat. Any role named after a technology optimizes for that technology—adoption metrics, models deployed. Customers don’t buy AI; they buy a problem going away. Define the role by the decisions it owns and the conditions under which it dissolves. If AI is core to your product, it belongs in product and engineering within two years. – Ravi Nemalikanti, Abrigo
Treat AI As An Operating Model Change
Too many companies treat a chief AI officer as an org chart fix. But AI isn’t a technology project you can hand off to one person—it’s an operating model change that touches every leader. Bolt on a parallel role, and you get overlap and a new bottleneck. Instead, make AI accountability part of the jobs your leaders already own and name who decides what. – Joseph Ours, Centric Consulting
Redesign Existing Roles First
Carving out a standalone CAIO without repurposing existing CTO, CDO and business lead roles creates friction, not clarity, within mature enterprises. AI is currently embedded across every business unit and is blurring the lines between tech and outcome. Therefore, isolated AI offices get relegated to infrastructure arms rather than decision-makers. To truly empower a CAIO, embed their mandate directly within a business sub-unit accountable for specific P&L outcomes. – Harini Gopalakrishnan, TheHaze.ai
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To see the full article featuring Abrigo, visit Forbes, “Adding A CAIO? Here’s How To Avoid Role Overlap And Friction.”
