It’s the hot new C-suite role, but not every business needs the same strategy.
A Chief AI Officer makes sense when a company serves millions of customers, depends on personalization, and has the internal resources to build and maintain AI systems. Larger firms can justify the role to oversee AI strategy, integration, and governance across business units. For smaller businesses, it is often better to focus on solving targeted problems with AI, using external partners and tools rather than adding a new executive role. The decision ultimately depends on scale, readiness, and how central AI is to the business model.