| | November 20188CIOReviewCurrent debates regarding the future of AI often center around its impact on front-line workers and business operations. But companies should place more priority on the role AI will have on the C-Suite. Both now and even more so down the road, the implications of AI will warrant unprecedented collaboration between two key roles: the Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) and Chief Information Officer (CIO). Essentially, the two roles are converging, transforming the fundamentals of how we do business. Traditionally perceived as support functions, both IT and HR play a significant role in the strategic positioning and sustained performance of an organization. Collaboration between the two, along with other functions, is critical for enabling new strategic directions and stimulating new insights into future possibilities in an ecosystem marked by constant disruption and innovation. In today's world, business acumen, collaboration, effective change management, and conflict resolution are increasingly expected of the CIO. Key questions that CIOs should be thinking about include the following:· What is the top threat that emerging technologies pose to our business model?· What new competitors will likely enter our market space?· Who is the most important customer in our customer/stakeholder chain?· What opportunities exist/or are potentially emerging for us that provide new services and products through technological innovations (including AI)?· What are the implications of these innovations for our future talent needs?· How will we effectively address these future talent needs through recruitment, continual development of employees, and focused retention of key employees?The last three questions relate to the need for ongoing partnerships with CHROs to support necessary programs for talent development, retention of talent through career development opportunities using AI support, and collaborative succession planning.AI's Evolving Application in Human ResourcesIn recent years, AI has made substantial progress in both being able to identify employees who are most likely to leave their ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: THE KEY UNIFIER BETWEEN THE CIO AND CHROBy Amy Lui Abel, Ph.D, MD, Human Capital, The Conference Board andLyle Yorks, Ed.D., Professor, Columbia UniversityIN MY PINION
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