- AI adoption is increasing, and CIOs are leading most of it, according to Salesforce
- CIOs work closely with senior management colleagues, but not so much with security
- Despite the challenges, CIOs seem okay with the fact that their roles are changing
With full AI implementation steadily increasing, CIOs are increasingly finding themselves under AI responsibilities, according to new research.
The shift from experimentation to full-scale deployment hasn't exactly been a light switch on-off moment, with companies struggling to generate returns on investment (ROI) and find ideal use cases, so processes haven't been able to keep up.
For example, many studies have already shown that security processes are lacking compared to the actual state of AI implementation, and Salesforce findings now say that job roles have also been slow to adapt.
CIOs given more AI responsibilities
Although CIOs are being formally assigned more responsibilities, they are also experiencing better collaboration with senior management, particularly CEOs and CFOs.
However, the chief data officer's collaboration was lower, which some may find alarming given AI's heavy reliance on data.
Better yet, CIOs don't seem to be overly concerned about the evolution of their roles. Three in four feel more confident in their role than last year and 97% say they know more about AI.
Many CIOs also report working more closely with customer service, finance, human resources, marketing and sales departments, but perhaps closer integration with security teams could help them prepare for the future.
For example, the number one fear regarding AI is around data security and privacy, and yet collaboration between the chief data officer and chief technology officer was among the lowest across senior management.
Additionally, only 14% of the average IT budget is allocated to data security.
This shows that while CIOs are generally on board with the shift in responsibilities, the support they receive to close security gaps, collaborate with other teams, and expand their skills is not really up to par.
Looking ahead, the role of the CIO is clearly undergoing some changes as appointees will cover more AI. Salesforce data shows the need for improved AI skills and closer collaboration with relevant teams to achieve the greatest success.
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