Nearly half of FTSE 100 companies (48%) have now established Chief AI Officers (CAIOs) or equivalent AI-focused roles, with 42% of these critical hires occurring in just the past year alone. The findings come from a new report* revealing how Britain’s top companies are reshaping their leadership teams as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes a boardroom imperative amid the global boom in AI investment.  

The report entitled; ‘All In: The Corporate AI Leadership Race’ shows companies are racing to hire AI-savvy executives, redefining C-suite leadership for the AI era. With 65% of these AI leadership roles created in the last two years, companies are competing fiercely for executives who can blend technical expertise with business objectives.  

A New Breed of Corporate Leader  

pltfrm’s research uncovers three distinct pathways to AI leadership in today’s top companies.   

The largest cohort (50%) come from data science backgrounds, bringing deep technical expertise to boardroom discussions. 21% transitioned from strategic consulting firms, demonstrating the importance of strategic vision alongside bridging AI innovation, while 17% emerged from engineering and technology roles. Only 4% originate from academic research, suggesting that real-world implementation and commercial insight currently outweigh purely technical expertise.  

Two Models for AI Leadership  

As AI adoption accelerates across industries, FTSE 100 companies are seeking CAIOs who can simultaneously drive innovation and mitigate risk. pltfrm identifies two emerging archetypes: the technically driven ‘Savant’, developing cutting-edge innovations to ensure companies aren’t left in the digital dust, and the governance focused ‘Shepherd’, managing compliance with regulations and enabling AI to flourish responsibly. The most successful leaders will need to balance both innovation and control.  

With AI leadership continuing to evolve, pltfrm expects further additions to the C-suite as responsibilities diversify, including Chief Automation Officers to streamline operations and reskill employees displaced by AI and Chief Ethics Officers to handle potential bias, privacy breaches, and societal impacts. Companies will need at the most senior level someone to ensure AI aligns with human values, regulatory protocols, and build trust with stakeholders and employees.   

“The most effective Chief AI Officers operate like elite athletes,” said Will Lahaise, Co-Founder at pltfrm, “They are the linchpins between technical potential and business results. They need to translate between engineers and executives, between what’s technologically possible and what’s commercially viable. The ideal Chief AI Officer is someone who has the vision to ‘dream-big’ and push innovative boundaries as well as the discipline to establish guardrails.”  

*pltfrm’s All In: The Corporate AI Leadership Race report is available to read here.