Over Half Of Organisations Have AI Board, Leader, But No C-Suite Representation: Gartner

More than half the organisations surveyed by Gartner Inc. have an artificial intelligence board even though they remain divided regarding the necessity of such a board.

Around 55% of organisations have an AI board with 54% having a head of AI or an AI leader that orchestrates activities, Gartner survey of more than 1,800 executive leaders showed.

Enterprises require an AI board to resolve the challenges to drive value and reduce risk from AI, Gartner said. The duration, scope and resourcing is context-specific and use-case dependent. For some organisations, it’s a short-term, stopgap measure; for others, it’s a longer-term change to their operating model.

Accountability for AI is spread out. Additionally, some organisations are decentralised, siloed or unclear as to where AI initiatives should lie. When asked who is accountable for AI initiatives, only 25% of respondents said the chief information officer. Other answers ranged from AI leader (16%), business unit leader (12%), chief technology officer (10%) to other/unsure (12%).

According to Gartner experts, AI board member composition should have representation from multiple disciplines and cross-business units. Organisations must determine the best approach to drive speed and agility and ensure that the board does not get unwieldy and unproductive due to inability to meet or drive consensus.

When asked to identify the top three focuses of the board remit, 26% of executives identified governance, and another 21% indicated strategy should be one of the primary focuses. Board members should be senior level and seasoned executives with strong skills in strategy and execution, especially if they have generative AI ambitions.

Of the 54% of executive leaders who indicated their organisation had a head of AI, or an AI leader, 88% said the leader did not have the title of chief AI officer. 

C-suite leaders take direction from their board of directors, and most boards do not want to expand the C-suite. Despite this, boards do want an AI leader who is responsible for AI orchestration.

While AI and gen AI touch various jobs, activities and strategic conversations in an organisation, this does not mean that the people or team responsible for orchestrating AI should have a C-suite title, Gartner experts said.