InformationWeek Podcast: Building up New IT Leaders in the AI Era

Why It Matters

The discussion signals a strategic inflection: organizations that hire experienced AI leaders, decentralize capability-building, and redesign IT operating models will accelerate automation and innovation while needing stronger governance to manage risk. Companies that fail to adapt risk bottlenecks, missed efficiency gains, and weaker tech leadership.

Summary

CIOs and CTOs on the InformationWeek podcast said building IT leadership in the AI era requires hiring frontier talent who can demonstrate the art of the possible and pull teams forward, not just mandate AI use. Leaders emphasized recruiting people who own and iterate on workflows, integrating AI into functional strategies rather than treating it as a separate initiative. Panelists highlighted AI’s democratization—enabling non-programmers to build solutions—and argued IT must shift from gatekeeper to enabler with new operating models and governance. Several executives noted AI also lets managers re-engage with technical work, improving engagement and practical leadership.

Original Description

Art Hu, CIO at Lenovo; Marc Kermisch, chief AI and technology officer at Protolabs; and Joe Papp, CTO at Anthro Energy, discuss cultivating new IT leaders in the shadow of AI.