Our Cybersecurity Podcast Returns with Tips (and a Warning) About Chief AI Officers

Threat intel, vulnerability management, “shadow IT” and the newly burgeoning “shadow AI,” the warning signs of CISO burnout, the tricks to buddying up to your cyber insurer, and – this week, in our first new episode – a discerning look at chief AI officers: These are just some of the timely deep dives we’ll take with the return of Focal Point’s award-winning companion podcast, Let’s Converge.

In the fast-paced world of cybersecurity, staying updated on cyber trends and in touch with tech’s most insightful founders, innovators, buzz-makers, and thought leaders is crucial. Which is why we created Let’s Converge.

Let it be your portal into the minds of these experts, learning the latest hot takes on what excites them – and what keeps them up at night.

The future of IT and security is autonomous. But most organizations don’t know which manual processes are easy to eliminate. This is where you start.

Designed for cybersecurity enthusiasts, IT professionals, enterprise leaders, and podcast lovers alike, this timely and time-saving series offers actionable insights from the brightest minds in the industry.

And in bite-size, 20-minute episodes.

Each episode features engaging thought leaders from Tanium, an innovator in cybersecurity and business transformation, and the industry’s leading provider of Converged Endpoint Management (XEM). These co-hosts tackle current trends in cybercrime, IT operations, and digital transformation, providing listeners with practical and real-world solutions you can start implementing today.

This week, we ask: Do you really need a chief AI officer?

Yes, is the simple answer – but not without taking a scrupulous look at your job contenders’ background, advises David Mathison, the founder and CEO of the CDO Club, and host of the world’s first chief AI officer summit. (Mathison will host the second annual summit on October 2. See below for more info.)

Sadly, there’s always the people who put chief AI officer in their title on LinkedIn just to use the link as clickbait to get recruiters or hiring managers to follow them.

“There are a lot of C-suite titles these days,” Mathison tells Mike Curran, Tanium’s vp of global talent, and a co-host of Let’s Converge. “The goal for each of ’em and for management is to ensure that both the [chief AI officers and data officers] really have a seat at the table, have the ear to the CEO and the board. And that they’re empowered through budgets, through resources, through headcount, to drive AI and data strategies that align with the organization’s overall vision and goals and strategic value.”

Early drivers of this new C-suite trend include Accenture, IBM, Levi’s, and eBay, who all hired chief AI officers in recent years. Then came President Biden’s executive order last year, mandating that all federal agencies hire a chief AI officer to oversee the deployment of AI within those agencies. Within months, scores of AI overseers were hired at federal agencies, and the trend is driving new job opportunities in the private sector, says Mathison. He’s been counting – as of late August, there were 1,200 chief AI officers listed on LinkedIn.

But buyer beware.

“Fifty percent of them, I don’t count,” says Mathison. “Sadly, there’s always the people who put chief AI officer in their title on LinkedIn just to use the link as clickbait to get recruiters or hiring managers to follow them.”

[Listen to the full episode: Ep. 13 – Do you need to hire a chief AI officer?]

A top cybersecurity podcast for cyber enthusiasts

By tuning in to Let’s Converge, you’re joining a community of like-minded individuals who are passionate about cybersecurity. We’ll drop a fresh episode each week – and at just 20 minutes, it’s easy to stay informed without having to dedicate hours to listening.

TO LEARN MORE

For those looking to build their network and knowledge, consider these resources:

• Chief AI Officer Summit – The CDO Club’s second annual CAIO summit will be held October 2 (a day after its Chief Digital/Data/Analytics Officer Summit) in Washington, D.C. Speakers will include the U.S. Treasury Department’s deputy CAIO, Brian Peretti; senior advisor of digital talent at the DoD’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, Angela Cough; and chief AI officers from Avanade, Fox Rothschild, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, among others.
• Chief AI Officer (CAIO) Talent Map – The first-of-its-kind report produced by the CDO Club covering key chief AI officer demographic data, compensation, region, career path, reporting structures, and open CAIO jobs. Due out in mid-September.