Back in 2024, research at Harvey Nash found that just over 10% of businesses already had or were planning to appoint a Chief AI Officer (CAIO). This was an exciting development – but would it last, or would AI roles perhaps become subsumed into existing tech leadership briefs such as CIO, CTO, CDO as AI became business as usual?
A couple of years later, the answer is clear: it is here to stay – and it’s spreading fast. We see this ourselves in the mandates we work on with clients who are increasingly looking to appoint senior postholders with direct responsibility for AI. Of course, the job title for this may not be CAIO specifically – there are a host of titles emerging such as Head of AI, Chief AI Scientist, AI Transformation Officer, Responsible AI Director and more.
Sector hotspots
These appointments are especially prominent in financial services where organisations are generally advanced in their technology systems and data platforms, and where AI is a natural fit with the tech-enabled operating models of digital banking. HSBC has recently announced the appointment of a CAIO, for example, while NatWest appointed a Chief AI Research Officer last year.
Senior AI roles are also widespread in highly regulated sectors such as energy, where there is a particular focus on ensuring there is strong governance over the deployment of AI, managing the risks and maintaining compliance with data privacy and security rules. Other sectors where AI is really on the march include legal, accountancy and consultancy. The Big Four firms, for example, have CAIOs or equivalent and are driving significant efforts to integrate AI into both internal ways of working and solutions for clients. Graduate recruitment has reportedly dropped as AI begins to do more and more analytical work.
In general terms, it is the large FTSE and Fortune enterprises where AI roles are proliferating. At the mid-market level, it is more likely that the CIO or equivalent retains the lead on AI, perhaps with the appointment of a role a level below to lead on data, automation and the factors that lay the foundations for AI. The reality, after all, is that many organisations are still a long way from being AI-ready: there is still a considerable amount of modernisation and digitisation that needs to happen first.
Nevertheless, the CAIO role is rapidly reaching into more and more businesses. Indeed, an eye-catching piece of research from IBM finds that as many as three-quarters of organisations (76%) now have a CAIO or equivalent, a huge jump from 26% in 2025.
Qualities of a CAIO
So what are the skills and attributes of this new generation of CAIOs? Needless to say, a strong track record in and passion for technology comes with the territory. Many postholders have a CTO type background. But they are not merely ‘techies’ excited by the inner workings of an LLM. We have in fact seen quite a marked evolution of the CAIO role over the last couple of years. In the early days, they were often positioned as ‘evangelists’ whose function was in essence to raise awareness of AI, spread the word, and prepare the way for adoption. Now, as AI has matured and agentic deployment is the buzzword, the CAIO role has become much more about ‘doing’: commercially credible leaders who are driving ROI, engaging with boardrooms, managing enterprise change, reshaping operating models and managing governance and risk controls too.
It is not an overstatement to say that there is now a new, fixed career path for technology professionals to aspire to: the CAIO position is becoming a career goal for many, alongside the traditional targets of CIO, CTO, CDO, CISO etc. The role may sit slightly below the CIO and CTO in terms of seniority and remuneration, but it is becoming an established feature of the tech leadership org chart.
In some ways, this reflects the wider reality that tech roles are always evolving. Another post on the rise, for example, is Chief Product Officer (CPO). We are seeing this especially in fintech organisations where products need a tech solution for their channels to market. We are even seeing the appointment of some Chief Product and Technology Officers (CPTO) as a result.
CAIO here to stay
Looking ahead, we expect the ubiquity of the CAIO to only increase. AI is the fastest moving market we have ever seen. The pace of development is incredible, so that organisations need to constantly check themselves, via a CAIO or equivalent, against key questions such as: Do we have the best utilisation possible? Are we keeping up with our competitors? Are we governing this appropriately and managing the risks?
This brings us back to the business as usual (BAU) question at the start. With AI moving so fast, it feels like it will never just be BAU. How could it be, when AI never stands still? For that reason, a CAIO or equivalent feels like a necessity for more and more organisations. Say ‘ciao’ to the CAIO therefore – they’re spreading and are here to stay.
Kirsteen Bell and Peter Birch are Directors of technology & digital executive search at Harvey Nash
