Expanding Leadership: Thinking Beyond the CIO in the Age of AI

MidJourney: Curt Doty

Reorganize your company from the middle.

Don’t become the next Chief Metaverse Officer. A short-lived title, much like the Chief Prompting Officer. The organizational change management that needs to happen to create an AI-Org is not a top-down strategy.

If you however, somehow feel the need to create a Chief AI Officer, they should only report to the CEO. The ubiquity of AI and its impact on every division of a company means the CTO and CIO are not in charge anymore. The stranglehold of technology has been democratized. This is a story of revolution and empowerment.

I recently met and talked with Chris Daigle, CEO & Co-Founder of ChiefAIOfficer.com. He is a Tech and AI Maven, Growth Architect and has developed one of the first certification programs with cutting-edge training that will turn you into a Chief AI Officer or CAIO — the visionary leader who leverages AI for breakthrough success. Much better title than Chief Prompt Officer. Watch this space.

Whether you are an employee interested in AI, or a recent college graduate, these are soft skills need to pivot in this new environment.

•    Ability to collaborate. AI is a complex technology that isn’t harnessed by one person alone. Get ready to work in teams.

•    Adaptability. AI features are constantly evolving. Adapting to the changing tools can help you keep up.

•    Communication skills. Communicating on AI complexities in writing and verbally will serve you well in the field.

•    Vigilant. Stay on top of not only software features, but also socio-economic impact.

•    Optimistic. Always innovate for good.

•    Curiosity. An innovative mindset can help you explore AI’s full potential.

Related Article: How Recent Graduates Should Navigate The Age Of AI

For those still in college as “undecideds” you might want to consider that Liberal Arts degree. It is becoming Tech’s hottest ticket.

“Big tech employers are widening their hiring horizons beyond the STEM fields: science, technology, engineering and math. Larry Quinlan, Deloitte’s chief information officer, argues in favor of “STEAM,” in which the A stands for the arts. “It’s not enough to be technologically brilliant,” Quinlan says. “We need senior people who understand business processes, too.” - Forbes

Pepi Valderrama of Medium.com recently wrote,”You’re probably pondering how AI, the new office superhero, is reshaping the job market. And if you think this AI wave is just for code-savvy peeps, think again. Liberal Arts grads are tech’s next big thing!”

The biggest disruption and opportunity is that almost every role is going to be rewritten in the context of AI. From engineers to salespeople, marketers, finance, HR and legal — everyone’s going to be leveraging AI in some way as it is now in the software every company uses. And so how does HR and recruitment think about hiring people based on knowledge of leveraging AI? And how do they upskill their existing people to learn the new skills that are required?

It is a misdirect to believe that if you have AI experience that you must work with an AI company, of which there are many now claiming to be that AI company, but are likely data or cloud computing companies. The fact is that every business can incorporate AI to transform their business, but don’t have to be positioned as an AI company.

This highlights the opportunity to rebuild your company as an AI-Org. Build from within in collaborative fashion, cross departmental. Who could be in charge of such an effort? It goes back to the people who need to drive this, not the robots or the technology. I had the opportunity to hear an inspirational keynote from Claude Silver Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia (CHRO/Chief People Officer) who described her mission is to infuse the agency with empathy. Empathy and an understanding of the human condition in the Age of AI is what is needed for transformation. Yes, Big Tech controls AI right now, but that does not mean that technology needs to drive the internal changes of an organization. The ubiquity of AI is here and needs guardrails from a human perspective. Enter AI Ethics and legal.

Jennifer Stivers, has created the Ethical AI Guide, a Conversational guide for AI ethics, focused on definitions, communication among stakeholders, and responsible best practices for AI adoption. It is available in OpenAI's GPT store.

She comments "As companies implement AI tools, it is crucial to keep human oversight and responsibility central to decision-making. Leaders must fully understand the entire process of data handling, from collection to usage, especially when dealing with sensitive data like biometrics. The need for these technologies should be clearly defined, and their deployment must comply with data privacy laws and established best practices. This is becoming increasingly important as we enter the era of AI agents, robotics, and neurodata."

Thought Leader in Education, DEI, Coaching, Technology, and Medicine Orion Ohev states,”On Human Transformation, the integration of AI into all aspects of a business fundamentally changes how it operates and delivers value. To reduce stress, burnout, and overwhelm creativity and innovation by upskilling your internal flag-bearers to create new business models, revenue streams, and customer experiences that drive growth and competitiveness.”

This all points to a human centered approach to creating an AI-Org. HR seems poised to lead. When I launched RealmIQ, my tagline was “Adopt or Perish,” but now, being the optimist, I am entertaining “Adopt and Thrive.” Would love to know your thoughts.

About the Author

Curt Doty specializes in branding, product development, social strategy, integrated marketing, and UXD. He has extensive experience on AI-driven platforms MidJourney, Adobe Firefly, ChatGPT, Murf.ai, and DALL-E. His legacy of entertainment branding: Electronic Arts, EA Sports, ProSieben, SAT.1, WBTV Latin America, Discovery Health, ABC, CBS, A&E, StarTV, Fox, Kabel 1, TV Guide Channel, and Prevue Channel.

He is a sought after public speaker having been featured at Mobile Growth Association, Mobile Congress, App Growth Summit, Promax, CES, CTIA, NAB, NATPE, MMA Global, New Mexico Angels, Santa Fe Business Incubator, EntrepeneursRx and AI Impact. He is now represented by Ovationz. His new consultancy RealmIQ helps companies manage the AI Revolution.

© 2024 Curt Doty Company LLC. All rights reserved. RealmIQ is a division of the Curt Doty Company. Reproduction, in whole or part, without permission of the publisher is prohibited. Publisher is not responsible for any AI errors or omissions.