Anup Purohit, Global CIO at Wipro, sheds some light on how CIOs can keep up with a rapidly evolving sector.
Maintaining a balance between innovation and security underpins everything CIOs need to keep in mind, as new technology comes hand-in-hand with formidable challenges. With generative AI changing the ways business operate, CIOs will need to adopt a new working mindset, have a framework on managing rapid technological changes and take the centre stage when it comes to digital transformation.
Responsible AI framework
Generative AI has undeniably captured the imagination of organisations and industries worldwide, as businesses are increasingly turning to AI to drive innovation and efficiency within their ranks. Adopting AI will allow CIOs to unlock new avenues for success while maintaining balance between technical expertise and business acumen.
However, to effectively implement AI, a strong and ethical AI framework must be implemented to overcome significant AI challenges, such as data privacy and the availability of high-quality data. AI adoption will require leaders to be nimble, and to adapt to external developments.
AI success
As AI becomes more accessible and businesses are able to harness its power for various applications, establishing ethical guidelines for AI development and deployment is no longer optional but a critical requirement. To effectively scale AI initiatives, one must consider the foundation and the existing operational model of the organisation so that the experimentation doesn’t compromise the enterprise. High-quality data and access to the correct sources are the lifeline of AI, necessitating strategic investments in data governance, quality assessment tools, and robust integration capabilities.
Partnering with business units to identify and prioritise data sources is an integral step, as is the implementation of data lakes and warehouses for effective data management. Businesses should aim for a future where accuracy, safety, responsibility and ethical use are established as standards across use cases. Therefore, it’s important for CIOs to hone in on their technical knowledge and be aware of which technologies will be the most useful for their organisation, and how to assess their impact.
Enablers vs business drivers
The integration of AI will bring a mindset shift to CIOs by making them look for opportunities to proactively drive business, rather than simply take requests from various teams. As a result, it is crucial for CIOs to understand their business’ imperatives and provide solutions that enable success. This necessitates creating teams that are not only operational efficient but also capable of mapping themselves against the businesses and using data to tackle business problems while driving enterprise protection.
However, the success of AI transcends beyond frameworks and permeates into the organisational culture. All employees should be trained in using AI to prepare them and the organisation for the AI-driven future. It is through concerted efforts, ranging from trainings in GenAI 101 to advanced certifications, that the talent gap in AI and machine learning will be overcome.
So far, GenAI has been deployed by a mere 9% of CIOs, while over half plan to do so in the next two years. To make this statistic grow, the evolving role of the CIO in the AI era demands a proactive approach towards comprehending business needs, technology adoption, fostering talent and upholding ethical governance.
As the role of technology becomes more important for CIOs to keep on top of their technical knowledge and understand what technology can bring the most value to consumers.
