Most CEOs think their CIOs lack AI savviness

Many CEOs see the hype about AI but don’t understand the on-the-ground realities of making it work, says Boris Kolev, global CIO at youth training organization JA Worldwide. CEOs sometimes push to implement AI tools that aren’t yet useful because of a fear of falling behind, he adds.

“Often, the CEO is going to conferences and events where AI is a topic and speaks with some lecturers and presenters who explain how AI is very easy to implement and is very powerful,” he says. “But when it comes to data security, cost, privacy, compliance, protecting company data, etc., things are very complicated, and CEOs don’t go that deep.”

In many cases, there’s a gap between CEO expectations and CIO delivery of AI solutions, adds Yvette Schmitter, cofounder and CEO of IT consulting firm Fusion Collective. Most CIOs and CDOs understand the technology better than CEOs, who are often “dazzled by parlor tricks” from AI vendors, she says.