CIOs Are Being Lumped with AI Responsibilities - and Many of Them Aren't Happy with That

Why It Matters

The mismatch between expanding AI duties for CIOs and insufficient security and data collaboration threatens ROI and exposes firms to heightened risk, making AI governance and skill development a strategic priority for the C‑suite.

Summary

Chief Information Officers are increasingly being tasked with AI responsibilities as enterprises move from pilot projects to large‑scale deployments, according to new Salesforce research. While three‑quarters of CIOs report greater confidence and 97% say they now understand AI better, collaboration with Chief Data Officers and security teams remains weak, even as data security and privacy are the top AI concerns. Only 14% of IT budgets are allocated to data security, highlighting a gap between AI ambitions and protective measures. The study underscores the need for AI upskilling and tighter cross‑functional coordination to realize AI ROI.