Start with the work, not the title
Identify the intended applications and the decisions they affect. Customer service, demand planning, internal research and content workflows may have different owners and requirements. A broad ambition to “use AI” does not establish the need for a separate C-suite position.
Clarify ownership across the business
Map the relationship with technology, data, digital, legal, risk and operating leaders. Decide who approves applications, owns delivery, reviews evidence and can stop a deployment. Where an existing executive can hold this responsibility effectively, another title may add complexity rather than clarity.
Match the remit to available resources
Define the team, budget, data access and external support the role can use. A leader asked to build capability from the beginning faces a different mandate from someone inheriting established systems. The brief should distinguish what exists from what still needs investment.
Examine evidence of delivery
Ask candidates to describe a specific application: the business problem, their personal role, the evaluation used and what happened after deployment. Explore where the work fell short or had to change. Distinguish responsibility for delivering a system from involvement in a presentation or procurement process.
Agree specialist assessment
Commercial and leadership interviews do not replace technical evaluation. Establish which technical questions matter, what evidence candidates can appropriately share and who is qualified to assess it. Confidentiality should be respected; candidates should not be asked to disclose a previous employer’s proprietary material.
Treat governance as part of the remit
The role should have a clear relationship with the organisation’s risk and approval processes. NIST’s AI Risk Management Framework is a voluntary resource for considering trustworthiness in the design, development, use and evaluation of AI systems. It can inform questions for the leadership brief; it is not a hiring credential or a substitute for the organisation’s own obligations.
Assess judgement about the customer experience
For a luxury or premium business, explore when automation is useful and when a human relationship remains necessary. The candidate should be able to explain those decisions in the context of the brand, the customer and the service being offered.
Commission the right search
Once the authority and requirements are clear, decide whether the brief calls for a Chief AI Officer, a technology or data leader, or another appointment. A search begins with that defined responsibility, not an assumption that every business needs the same organisational model.
Further reading: NIST AI Risk Management Framework