Stephan Schmidt - August 17, 2025
CTOs: Own AI or Lose It—Become the CAIO
If you don't own AI, marketing will
TL;DR: Engineering leaders must proactively claim ownership of AI strategy now by positioning themselves as the "CAIO" (Chief AI Officer) before AI decision-making shifts to product or business teams—similar to how product management once separated from engineering. CTOs are uniquely positioned to drive AI integration into core products due to their technical expertise and understanding of both current limitations and future trajectories.
Dear CTOs,
we live in a time of change, and the most dramatic changes are on the horizon. AI will turn everything on its head. Companies realized that using #ChatGPT is not enough, and they need to include AI deeper into their company.
Now AI becomes core to the business and everyone wants to own the AI strategy, the CEO, marketing, product. As the engineering leader, don’t be left out.
To maximize the effect of AI on the core of the company, in the product and the tech vision, it needs to be owned by the CTO (or CPTO). The CTO best understands the potential, the current shortcomings, the best way to integrate and use AI. The CTO is best suited from their experience of technology to see where AI moves to. Good managers are paid for them knowing the future and build for it.
Become the “CAIO” or the Chief-AI-Officer - if you funnily brand yourself that way, everyone will accept you are the person for AI in the company. Keep repeating you’re the “CAIO”-put it in quotes, but put it on slides. Be prepared to get resistance, this is a big delicious cake!
Now is the time for it. If you wait too long, AI will go the way of product. Once engineering owned product and was creating its own ideas. Then the product managers arrived, and you got unhappy because you and devs are only executing other people’s ideas. Don’t let it happen this time. Product management did take "creating" from you, don’t let anyone take AI from you.
A friend.
About me: Hey, I'm Stephan, I help CTOs with Coaching, with 40+ years of software development and 25+ years of engineering management experience. I've coached and mentored 80+ CTOs and founders. I've founded 3 startups. 1 nice exit. I help CTOs and engineering leaders grow, scale their teams, gain clarity, lead with confidence and navigate the challenges of fast-growing companies.
