Oct 29

Third Chief AI Officer Summit Re-Cap (DC 10/02/24)

Our third Chief AI Officer Summit was held at The University of Maryland on Wednesday, October 02, 2024.

Delegates and speakers were welcomed by emcee Sree Sreenivasan, CEO at Digimentors and former CDO of NYC, the Metropolitan Musem of Art, and Columbia University.

The opening keynote was delivered by David Mathison, CEO of the CDO Club and CDAO/CAIO Summit, on “The Chief AI Officer Talent Map 2024.”

Mathison revealed his research on the world’s first-ever detailed executive report on the Chief AI Officer (“CAIO”) title.

He reviewed some of the executives who currently hold that title, what their responsibilities are, the organizations they work for, where they are located, and how to get a CAIO for your company – or become one yourself.

The keynote and report also covered CAIO compensation, key responsibilities, reporting structure, headcount, budget, previous work experience, and other demographic data including age, gender, region, sector, tenure, etc.

To see all videos from this CAIO Summit,
the world’s 1st CAIO Summit (Dec 2023 in Boston),
and all videos of sessions recorded at CDAO/CAIO summits since 2013:
JOIN AS A PLATINUM CDO CLUB MEMBER NOW!

The next keynote was on “Small AI, Big Impact: Unlocking the Promise of AI with the Power of Small Models,” with Yudong Cao, CTO at Zapata AI.

In this keynote, Yudong challenged the prevailing focus on large language models (LLMs) as the ultimate AI solution.

Instead, he explored the untapped potential of “small AI” —specialized models that offer significant value by addressing specific enterprise challenges.

Yudong explained how deploying smaller models closer to the edge can overcome barriers like compute accessibility, data privacy, and resource constraints, ultimately leading to more efficient and secure AI implementations.

The first panel of the day was on “AI for Good: Ethical AI Leadership and Responsible Innovation and Governance” was moderated by David Mathison, CEO of the CDO Club and CDAO/CAIO Summit.

With artificial intelligence, it’s not just about what we achieve but how we achieve it.

Thoughtful, ethical leadership and responsible innovation and governance are keys to ensuring that these technologies serve the greater good.

This panel featured AI experts from some of the nation’s most influential government agencies, all united by a mission to use AI ethically, responsibly, and for the betterment of society.

Panelists shared their previous accomplishments, current initiatives, future goals and challenges, and the resources and talent they’ll need to continue driving AI forward while upholding the highest standards of responsibility, equity, and inclusivity.

Drawing inspiration from NASA’s mission to innovate to help humanity and Google/Alphabet Moonshots’ goal of creating systems that serve diverse communities, the discussion focused on how AI leaders are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible while ensuring that their work benefits society and a wider range of people.

Panelists included:

David Mathison: CEO, CDAO/CAIO Summit (moderator)
Brian Peretti: Chief Technology Officer and Deputy Chief AI Officer, U.S. Department of the Treasury
Krista Kinnard: Digital Transformation Culture and Communication Lead, NASA
Dr. Salima Bhimani: Former Chief Strategist & Director for Inclusive, Responsible Technology, Business and Leaders, Google
Dr. Seth Dobrin: Former Chief AI Officer at IBM

Next up was a Fireside Chat with the U.S. Navy and Domino Data Lab on “Transformational AI Adoption in the U.S. Navy.”

As AI in all its forms, from analytics to machine learning and Generative AI, is increasingly ready for mission-critical use cases, there’s a lot on the line.

The potential to transform organizations and find new ways to accomplish missions with AI is proven, but agencies still face hurdles to scaling AI.

At this session, delegates learned:

• Perspective from the U.S. Navy’s Chief Digital and AI Officer on adopting AI to achieve mission critical outcomes.
• What agencies should know about AI risks.
• The toolsets and processes organizations need to sustainably create value from AI while mitigating risks.
• Actionable next steps to integrate AI rapidly, safely, and cost effectively.

Participants included:

• Nick Elprin: CEO, Domino Data Lab
• Randal Cole: Chief Data and AI Officer (Acting), Department of the Navy Office of the CIO

For more information, visit Domino Data Lab.

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Delegates then took a break for networking with colleagues and peers.

The next panel was on “Leveraging AI/Gen AI to Advance Government Innovation, Productivity, and Efficiency.”

Artificial intelligence is transforming the landscape of government operations, offering unprecedented opportunities for innovation, productivity, and efficiency.

This panel brought together key figures from federal agencies and industry to discuss strategies for successfully deploying generative AI across the enterprise.

Participants explored best practices, challenges, and future directions for integrating AI into federal agencies, driving innovation, and delivering better outcomes for the public.

Panelists included:

David Mathison: CEO, CDAO/CAIO Summit (moderator)
Chris Kraft: Deputy CTO, AI/Emerging Technology, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Dr. Mike Horton: Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (Acting); Deputy Chief Data Officer at U.S. Department of Transportation
Spence Green: CEO of Lilt
Vinay Vijay Singh: Chief AI Officer, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Thanks to all participants for asking such great questions and for being so engaged:

After lunch, delegates were treated to a keynote on “AI-First means People-first – Advice for Chief AI Officers” delivered by Florin Rotar, Chief AI Officer at Avanade.

Florin shared insights on his most important lesson from spearheading a global organization’s strategic AI transformation.

The real value of AI does not lie in technology. It begins with what truly matters: people.

He explored why the most successful CAIOs emphasize getting their organisations ready for AI. They work to turn doubt – for example that AI will replace jobs or is just a fad – into constructive trust. Only then can AI be adopted and scaled in a way that delivers meaningful impact.

The keynote included Florin’s candid reflections on what he would advise his younger self from 2-3 years ago and how these insights can help those who are beginning or expanding their AI efforts.

His session included three key takeaways:
• Top 10 lessons on AI organizational readiness, adoption and value generation
• The “dos and don’ts” to be successful as a Chief AI Officer
• What priorities to get right – and the common mistakes to avoid

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Delegates then took a break for lunch and networking with colleagues, speakers, and peers.

The first keynote after lunch covered “AI Observability: The Key to Unlocking the Full Potential of Large Language Models” was presented by Danny Brock, VP of Customer Success at Fiddler AI.

Large language models (LLMs) are transforming business operations and decision-making.

However, deploying these models in organizations presents significant trust, reliability, and ethical challenges.

This keynote explored how AI observability ensures the performance, reliability, and transparency of LLMs, providing essential monitoring, diagnostics, and interpretability.

Through real-world case studies and industry best practices, Danny exposed the risks and challenges in deploying LLMs and generative AI.

Find out more at Fiddler AI.

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The next panel was on “Securing Federal AI Talent: Strategies to Drive Innovation, Enhance Cybersecurity, and Ensure National Competitiveness.”

As AI technologies revolutionize the public sector, securing top AI talent becomes critical for driving innovation, enhancing cybersecurity, and ensuring national competitiveness.

This panel brought together leading experts from pivotal government entities to discuss strategies for attracting, developing, and retaining AI professionals within the federal landscape.

What followed was a dynamic discussion on the future of AI talent in government and how to cultivate an environment where innovation thrives and security is enhanced.

Panelists included:

David Mathison: CEO, CDAO/CAIO Summit (moderator)
Guy Cavallo: Acting Chief AI Officer, Office of Personnel Management
Michael Boyce: Director, DHS AI Corps, US Department of Homeland Security
Olivia Zhu: Assistant Director for AI Policy, The White House
Stephanie Hunter: Deputy Director, Defense Digital Talent Management, Development and Training at the Department of Defense’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office

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Delegates then took one final break to network with colleagues and peers.

After the break we held the final panel on “On-Demand AI Leadership: Delivering Scalable and Agile AI Strategy, Innovation, Productivity, and Competitive Advantage – Without the Full-Time Commitment or Cost.”

AI capabilities are pivotal to organizational success, but demand has far outstripped supply for C-level AI talent, leaving most small and medium businesses unable to afford the expense of a full-time Chief AI Officer.

This panel brought together distinguished leaders to discuss the advantages of leveraging the fractional model for CDAOs and CAIOs (aka “Talent as a Service”).

Panelists explored the benefits of this approach, how it can rapidly deliver AI/data strategy, amplify existing teams at lower cost, drive innovation, enhance operational efficiency and productivity, and provide scalable, strategic, top-tier AI talent and leadership without the long-term expense and commitment of a full-time executive.

Participants included:

Tanya Dua: Technology Editor, LinkedIn (moderator)
David Mathison: CEO, InnovationExchange.ai
Eileen Vidrine: Former Chief Data & Artificial Intelligence Officer, US Department of the Air Force
Jay Mandal: Former COO, SAP Analytics & AI Business and Guest Lecturer, Stanford Law School
Topher Wurts: Co-Founder, InnovationExchange.ai