CDOs, data science heads to fill Chief AI Officer positions in India

“We are already seeing this (combination of the AI roles) happening now in India,” Addagada said, giving the examples of HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, and Bandhan Bank.

The refactoring of C-level technology roles across Indian enterprises, according to CK Birla Hospitals’ CIO Mitali Biswas, can be chalked up to the dearth of talent or skills presently available to take on the responsibilities for the role or create an efficient team under that position.

“While larger enterprises may still want to create a new position and a team around it, small and medium businesses will look up to their existing technology leaders, such as the CIO or the CTO or the CDO to take up the CAIO mantle,” Biswas explained, adding that maturity and pervasiveness of the CAIO role, at least in the Indian healthcare sector, is two to three years away.

Santanu Ganguly, who is the CEO of advisory firm StrategINK, said he believes that other industry sectors, including healthcare, will see the role of CAIO being adopted in the next one to three years, driven by the boards and CEOs’ agenda of shaping the future of customer-centricity, offering innovation, enhanced productivity & efficient operations.

Along the same lines, Gaurav Kataria, vice president of digital manufacturing and CDIO at PSPD, ITC Limited said that the evolution of the CAIO role is already happening in India.

“Mostly all enterprises are setting up AI centers of excellence and the persons leading those centers are already doing what is expected of a CAIO. While the CAIO is not an official CxO position, this role rolls into the CDO who helps drive strategy, governance, and connect to the board,” Kataria explained.