Chief AI Officer Roles Surge in Australia
Synopsis
New research shows Australian businesses are rapidly appointing AI leaders as pressure grows to deliver productivity gains.
Key Highlights
- More than two-in-five Australian businesses have appointed a Chief AI Officer (CAIO).
- Datacom expects this number to increase to almost two in every three by 2027.
- Increasing Productivity is the main reason why businesses are adopting AI.
As Australian companies continue to accelerate their use of artificial intelligence, more than two in five have now filled the position of Chief AI Officer (CAIO), and a further third are looking to appoint a CAIO according to new research conducted by Datacom.
It estimates that number will jump to nearly two-thirds of all companies by 2027, according to the technology services company.
Strategy Key to AI Success
Businesses will only get financial gain from AI once they take a strategic approach, not just apply it to their current operations, added Datacom AI Director Lou Compagnone.
The survey found that 38% of respondents cited boosted productivity as the main reason they were using AI.
The research based on a survey of 526 medium-to-large enterprises and IT leaders found that around every three in five companies consider AI to be one of their most corporate-wide strategic priorities while only two out of five have an AI strategy.
Demand for AI Leadership Grows
After the Albanese government mandated all Commonwealth agencies report a CAIO by June 30, more than seven in 10 businesses said they would be adding a Chief AI Officer to take charge of planning and implementation.
Datacom, said Chief AI Officers are handlers that help bring connectivity between: strategy, governance/technology and people, which organisations needed to transition from siloed AI initiatives to more enterprise-scale transformation.
At a global level, over 76% of organisations had appointed Chief AI Officers in 2026 compared with just over one-in-four the year before -based on a study of 2,000 CEOs across 33 countries.
Source: Smart Company
At Inspirepreneurs Magazine, covering entrepreneurship, business failures, and the human stories behind the world's most ambitious founders. She writes at the intersection of strategy and storytelling.
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