If you're running a small business and thinking about hiring a Chief AI Officer, stop.
You don’t need one. And in most cases, it’ll slow you down or at least distract you.
Here’s why:
Generative AI is too new. No one has 10 years’ experience with it - because it didn’t exist 10 years ago. The people who claim to be experts? They’re often simply early users with strong opinions (my kind of people actually and the closest you’re going to get to an expert).
Because the real issue isn’t about credentials. It’s about mindset.
You don’t need someone who’s “led AI strategy” at a big firm. You need someone who’s obsessed with using AI to solve real problems. You need curiosity, creativity, relentless experimentation - and zero ego.
This isn’t an enterprise IT rollout
You don’t need a big bang strategy or a 50-slide roadmap.
You need someone who will:
Learn tools in hours, not weeks
Spot inefficiencies and opportunities and build automations fast
Partner with every team to improve processes without creating panic
Track what’s working and adapt quickly
Be able to communicate this all to a handicapped board
This role is not about governance. It’s about doing. And whoever is leading on AI in your business will spend most of their time managing people through serious change.
Hire for traits, not titles
If you're hiring, look for people who are:
Self-taught and restless
Obsessed with process and optimisation
Comfortable moving without perfect data
Already testing tools, building workflows, and sharing what they find
You don’t need a Chief AI Officer.
You need a Head of Making Shit Work Better.
Still tempted?
Ask yourself: Are you hiring someone to lead AI, or to delay decisions and write strategy docs no one reads?
The best AI adoption doesn’t come from hierarchy. It comes from momentum.
Don’t wait. Build that.
My 25-step AI adoption strategy is still relevant.
Hell yeah! I love this! The best way to really understand how to make the most of AI is to just roll your sleeves up and get into the mud with it. Put your ego aside and just start talking to it.
Ask all the questions you have.
Tell it all the problems that you have.
Converse with it as you would any other human being.
I’d hire 5 tenacious entry level grads with off the chart curiosity levels over a chief ai strategist all day everyday
I could not agree with this more!
This isn't a tech movement. It's a "get sh*t done" movement and when you start using Gen AI to accomplish real tasks or solve real problems then you start to realize the true value in Gen AI.
Replace your CAIO with someone that is super curious about AI and who has extensive business experience and you will be amazed at what can be accomplished with Gen AI.
This mindset is our cornerstone at Ramberg Labs.