A CTO and a CMO walk into a bar. The bartender goes... Who am I kidding? A CTO and CMO would never walk into a bar together. They're too busy arguing about who should be in charge of the company's AI initiatives. 🤭

Understanding the Landscape

In today's article, aside from the best dad jokes you'll read all day 😏, we're diving headfirst into the question of who should lead AI in your company. Is it your CTO, CMO, or our mystery guest who's about to pop out of the shadows like a novel or your favorite reality show? Dun dun duuuuuuunnnnnnn! 😱

If you're new to my work, my name is Lester, but feel free to call me Les. I'm an award-winning performance marketer and chairman of a group of DTC brands, so trust me when I say that what I'm sharing today has been tested and debated frequently in our organization.

Deciding Who Leads AI Initiatives

Deciding who leads our AI initiatives depends entirely on our objectives.

The Golden AI Rule

An argument can be made that the CTO should oversee everything technical, including AI. Your CTO is already responsible for your company's technology infrastructure, data security, and system reliability, and AI directly impacts all these areas. But does that mean the CTO should dictate what AI tools your creative team uses?

That sounds more like a job for your creative team or your CMO. On the other hand, your CMO handles everything from brand positioning and revenue growth to customer experiences. But does that mean they should decide what AI tools are used for coding or managing company-wide processes or even integrating company data?

AI doesn't live in a vacuum. It isn't just a marketing thing or a tech thing. It's bigger than that. AI is now a strategy thing, you feel me?

My Simple Yet Effective Approach

Here is a simple but effective checklist your team can use to decide what AI tool to deploy:

1. Collectively define the goal for the AI tool
2. Identify who will use it daily and clearly understand their needs and wants
3. Test the AI solution to make sure it works as intended
4. Have the CTO check security and confirm it integrates smoothly into existing systems (if necessary)
5. Measure if the AI makes things better once deployed
6. Periodically check if a better solution exists that could improve the workflow

This approach keeps your AI strategy practical, relevant, and effective without stepping on anyone's toes or slowing things down. 👍

My Two Cents

I'll leave you with this: AI isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. It touches every part of your business, and all those parts have different needs and objectives. AI is a strategy. It's not just another piece of tech or a random tool. 🤓☝️

That's why I firmly believe AI should never be a one-size-fits-all decision. The person who decides which AI tool to use should always be the person doing the actual work. This approach ensures that the right tools are chosen and fosters a culture of innovation and efficiency across your organization. You feel me? 😇 Hope this helps. I'm rooting for you.