The CEO Has Always Trusted the CIO to Say No. That's Changed With AI
CIO, Wednesday, August 19th, 2026
A former CTO argues the CIO's job has shifted from gatekeeping to teaching the whole company to use AI well.
The author, who spent years as a CTO before founding Mindstone, argues AI is not just another technology rollout. Historically the CEO trusted the CIO to be the person who could say no, and that gatekeeping role defined the function.
With AI the CIO now has to help the entire company learn how to use the technology and create real value from it.
The piece argues that CIOs and CTOs who are honest about what the role now entails will define the next decade of the function. Those who pretend the old version still works will watch the role lose its centre of gravity.