Who in the C-Suite Should Own AI?

The article addresses the emerging challenge in corporate leadership regarding which C-suite executive should own agentic AI—autonomous, goal-directed AI systems that impact multiple business functions. It explains that traditional turf battles among executives such as the CIO, COO, CFO, CHRO, CRO, and CDO arise because agentic AI spans technology, operations, finance, risk, human resources, and data governance. Instead of assigning AI ownership to a single leader, the article advocates for defining clear decision rights for specific AI-related choices, with a Chief AI Officer (CAIO) potentially coordinating this decision-rights map across functions. It emphasizes that jurisdictional competition over AI will persist due to the technology’s rapid evolution and broad impact, requiring ongoing coordination and adaptation within organizations. [Extracted from the article]