AI only creates value when leaders treat it as a managed transformation, not a magic trick or a forbidden toy. The organizations that win will assign clear ownership, invest in education and governance, and double down on the human soul of their brand and creativity.
- Stop “rolling out a chatbot” and start with a clear blueprint tied to cost, revenue, and risk.
- Assign one accountable AI leader (title aside) with authority across data, IT, operations, and change management.
- Invest in basic AI literacy for executives and teams so terms like “workflows” and “agents” have shared meaning.
- Create guardrails rather than bans to prevent shadow IT and uncontrolled data leakage.
- Use AI to augment—not replace—the human soul in your marketing and creative work.
- Adopt an “AI-first, human-in-the-loop” workflow for everyday tasks to build muscle memory.
- Start with small, visible pilots that actually touch your data and standard operating procedures.
The CAIO Loop: A 6-Step Leadership Model for Real AI Adoption
Name the Owner of the Ball
Someone in your organization must “have the ball” for AI. Whether you call them Chief AI Officer, VP of AI, or Director of Intelligent Systems, the role needs explicit authority to coordinate across the CIO, CTO, data, security, and operations teams. Without this, AI decisions get stuck in committees and turf wars.
Educate the Executive Bench
Before you talk tools, align on language. Make sure your leadership team can explain, in plain terms, concepts like AI workflows, agentic systems, and data governance. This shared vocabulary is the foundation for realistic expectations and wise investment decisions.
Map SOPs, Not Just Tech Stacks
AI transformation is as much about standard operating procedures as it is about models and APIs. Have your AI leader work with operations to map how work actually gets done, where handoffs break down, and where machine intelligence could compress cycle time or eliminate drudgery.
Connect AI to Your Data, Not Just Licenses
Buying site licenses for a foundation model without connecting it to your systems and data is a glorified toy rollout. Design secure pathways between your core data stores and AI tools, with clear access rules and logging, so the technology can actually act on your context.
Build Guardrails to Prevent Shadow IT
Total bans do not stop AI; they just push it underground. Create a governance framework that defines what data can be used, which tools are approved, and how outputs are reviewed. That structure keeps your people experimenting without putting customer or corporate data at risk.
Ship Small, Human-Centered Pilots
Start with contained use cases where AI can demonstrably reduce cost or time—such as campaign drafting, research, or internal knowledge retrieval. Keep humans firmly in the loop, measure impact, and use each pilot to refine both your governance and your team’s intuition about what “good” looks like.
CIO, CTO, CAIO: Who Owns What in AI Transformation?
Role | Primary Focus | Core AI Responsibility | Risk if Misaligned |
|---|---|---|---|
CIO | Buying, implementing, and maintaining enterprise IT systems | Ensure infrastructure, data platforms, and security posture can support AI workloads and compliant data access | AI tools stay disconnected from core systems; governance gaps create security and compliance exposure |
CTO | Building technology products and custom software | Embed AI capabilities into products, platforms, and custom apps in ways that serve customers and internal users | AI remains an isolated “labs” effort, never fully productized or aligned with business value |
CAIO (or equivalent) | End-to-end AI strategy, change management, and value realization | Own cross-functional roadmap, AI literacy, SOP redesign, and alignment between data, tech, and business outcomes | No one has the ball; decisions stall in committees, and shadow projects proliferate without standards |
From Pixels to Performance: Deep-Dive Insights on AI, Music, and Leadership
How should leaders rethink “AI deployment” so it actually delivers ROI rather than becoming a corporate toy?
Treat AI initiatives like any serious transformation: start from business outcomes, not from tools. Jason’s on-the-ground experience shows that buying licenses and “making it available” without training, data connections, or governance simply guarantees low adoption. A better approach is to pick a few clear problems—such as reducing campaign production time, speeding up analytics, or improving customer response quality—then design AI workflows around real SOPs with accountable owners, metrics, and change management baked in
Why is assigning a single accountable AI leader so critical even in organizations with mature CIO and CTO functions?
In large enterprises, AI cuts across every existing technology and data role: CIO, CTO, CISO, CDO, and digital leadership. Without a clearly designated owner, AI becomes a political football—everyone is touching it, but no one carries it into the end zone. Jason observes AI “consortiums” of five to seven executives that slow decisions and dilute accountability. By explicitly giving one person the AI hat—regardless of formal title—you create a focal point for strategy, prioritization, standards, and communication.
What does the “uncanny valley” of AI-composed music teach marketers about AI-generated content?
In the AI in A Minor project, classically trained musicians could feel that the compositions mimicked Mozart or Philip Glass, yet they did not truly understand them. Technically, the pieces were impressive, yet something in the emotional arc was off. That same gap exists in AI-written copy, visuals, and video: they can be structurally correct while lacking authentic voice, lived experience, or a coherent “soul.” For marketers, the lesson is clear—use AI to draft, ideate, and adapt, but let humans bring story, tension, and emotional truth that differentiates your brand from generic output.
How does clamping down on AI usage backfire inside organizations?
When leaders block AI tools across networks out of fear, they do not eliminate usage; they drive it underground. Jason sees this regularly: employees turn to personal devices and unvetted platforms, often pasting confidential data into consumer tools with no oversight. The organization loses visibility, increases risk, and misses the chance to guide best practices. A smarter path is to acknowledge that experimentation is already happening, then provide approved tools, clear instructions, and training so people can use AI safely and effectively.
What is a practical way for skeptical professionals to build AI intuition without waiting for a corporate program?
Jason recommends elementary, personal experiments to lower the barrier. One example he gives is taking a photo of your pantry and asking an AI assistant what you can make for dinner—with recipes and instructions. That kind of low-stakes, daily use helps people internalize how multimodal models “see,” reason, and respond. From there, it becomes natural to ask, “Where else could this help me?” and to start applying similar prompts to research, drafting, meeting summaries, and campaign concepts. Small wins build trust and competence long before formal enterprise rollouts catch up.
Author: Emanuel Rose, Senior Marketing Executive, Strategic eMarketing
Contact: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emanuelrose
Last updated:
- Perry, J. M. “The AI Evolution.” Role of the Chief AI Officer and AI governance in enterprises.
- PerryLabs and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, “AI in A Minor” project notes and public presentations.
- Thoughts on Tech & Things – Weekly newsletter by Jason Michael Perry on AI strategy and innovation.
- Marketing in the Age of AI podcast conversation with Jason Michael Perry, transcript excerpt provided by the host.
About Strategic eMarketing: Strategic eMarketing designs and executes data-informed, human-centered marketing systems for growth-focused organizations that want to integrate AI without losing authenticity.
https://strategicemarketing.com/about
https://www.linkedin.com/company/strategic-emarketing
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-in-the-age-of-ai
https://open.spotify.com/show/marketing-in-the-age-of-ai
https://www.youtube.com/@EmanuelRose
Guest Spotlight
Guest: Jason Michael Perry
Title: Founder and Chief AI Officer, PerryLabs
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmperry/
Email: jason@perrylabs.io
Bio: Jason Michael Perry is the Founder and Chief AI Officer of PerryLabs and author of The AI Evolution. A veteran technologist with 20+ years of experience, he advises organizations on AI strategy, intelligent systems, and innovation. He writes the weekly newsletter Thoughts on Tech & Things. Jason serves on the board of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, is an Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Baltimore, and Senior Advisor at the World Trade Center Institute. In 2023, he led the award-winning AI in A Minor, blending classical music with AI-composed performances in partnership with AWS and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
Episode: Marketing in the Age of AI with guest Jason Michael Perry (recorded for release around Monday, November 10th, 2025, 11:30 am PST / 2:30 pm EST).
About the Host
Emanuel Rose is a senior marketing executive and author of “Authentic Marketing in the Age of AI,” helping organizations blend data, automation, and storytelling to grow revenue while staying grounded in human connection. Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emanuelrose.
From Insight to Action: Your Next AI Leadership Moves
Block 30 minutes this week to do two things: first, define who currently “has the ball” for AI in your organization, and if the answer is “no one,” draft a simple one-page role description. Second, pick one personal workflow—writing, research, or planning—and run it AI-first with you firmly in the loop, noting the time saved and the quality of the outcomes.
Those small, deliberate steps will sharpen your intuition, surface real opportunities, and position you as a leader who is not just talking about AI, but guiding your team through it with clarity and purpose.