Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer
A Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer is the strategic architect and executive lead for institutional AI transformation, bridging technology, pedagogy, research, and operations to build a future-ready university. This is a sample job description from Excelon Associates that you can adapt as a template for your own hire.
What does a Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer do?
This newly created role serves as the strategic architect and executive lead for institutional AI transformation, bridging technology, pedagogy, research, and operations. As higher education enters a new era of AI-enabled learning and data-driven decision-making, the Chief AI Officer guides how artificial intelligence is integrated ethically, responsibly, and effectively across the academic enterprise.
The position shapes university-wide AI strategy, governance, and adoption, keeping it aligned with the institution’s mission, accreditation standards, and long-term innovation goals. The successful candidate understands both the technological and human dimensions of change, partnering with faculty, administrators, and researchers to transform how the university teaches, learns, and operates.
A Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO) is the executive who sets and governs an organization’s AI strategy. In higher education, AI governance is the framework of policies covering data ethics, privacy, accessibility, FERPA compliance, and academic integrity. FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, is the U.S. law protecting student education records.
Where does this role sit?
What are the key responsibilities?
- Strategic leadership. Develop and implement a multi-year institutional AI roadmap spanning academic innovation, research enablement, administrative modernization, and student success.
- Governance and compliance. Establish a comprehensive AI governance framework addressing data ethics, privacy, accessibility, FERPA compliance, and academic integrity, balancing innovation with institutional accountability.
- Pedagogical innovation. Partner with deans, faculty, and instructional design teams to integrate AI into curriculum and assessment, fostering responsible adoption that enhances, not replaces, human teaching.
- Operational efficiency. Collaborate with the CIO, institutional research, and administrative divisions to pilot and scale AI applications that streamline operations and elevate the student experience.
- Research advancement. Build infrastructure and policy to support AI-assisted research, data access, and secure use of advanced models for faculty and graduate projects.
- Workforce development. Lead campus-wide AI literacy and professional development for faculty, staff, and students, ensuring broad understanding and effective use of emerging tools.
- Partnerships and ecosystem building. Represent the university in national and global AI in education consortia, forming partnerships with technology vendors, think tanks, and peer institutions.
What qualifications are required?
- Advanced degree in computer science, data science, information systems, educational technology, or a closely related field.
- Demonstrated leadership in deploying AI solutions, data analytics, or digital transformation at scale within a complex organization.
- Deep understanding of higher education operations, accreditation frameworks, and compliance standards.
- Proven ability to design and implement governance structures, policy frameworks, and cross-functional partnerships.
- Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into actionable strategy for academic and administrative leaders.
How is success measured?
- Documented adoption of ethical AI practices across teaching, research, and operations.
- Measurable gains in learning outcomes, administrative efficiency, and data-informed decision-making.
- Increased faculty and staff proficiency in AI tools through campus-wide literacy initiatives.
- A positive institutional reputation as a national leader in responsible AI integration.
Why is this role important?
Higher education is entering an era of AI-enabled learning and data-driven decision-making, and how an institution adopts AI now will shape its credibility for years. This role makes sure that adoption is ethical, responsible, and aligned with the institution’s mission and accreditation standards, rather than ad hoc.
By balancing innovation with accountability, the Chief AI Officer positions the university as a leader in responsible AI integration while protecting students, faculty, and institutional data.
A hiring note from Excelon
This is a translator role as much as a technical one. The candidates who succeed can hold a credible conversation with both a machine learning team and a faculty senate, and they treat governance as the enabler of adoption rather than the brake on it. We screen for leaders who have actually stood up AI policy inside a regulated, committee-driven organization, because deploying models is the easy part next to earning institutional trust.
The hard part of this role is not the technology. It is earning the trust of a faculty senate while still moving fast enough to matter.
Frequently asked questions
What does a Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer do?
The Chief AI Officer is the executive lead for institutional AI transformation, shaping university-wide AI strategy, governance, and adoption across teaching, research, and operations while making sure AI is integrated ethically and responsibly.
What qualifications are required?
This sample role requires an advanced degree in computer science, data science, information systems, educational technology, or a closely related field, plus demonstrated leadership deploying AI solutions, data analytics, or digital transformation at scale within a complex organization.
Who does the Chief AI Officer report to?
The position reports directly to the Provost or President and collaborates with senior leadership including the CIO, VP for Research, Institutional Effectiveness, and Deans. It may oversee a small interdisciplinary team focused on AI governance, instructional innovation, and analytics.
What is AI governance in higher education?
AI governance is the framework of policies covering data ethics, privacy, accessibility, FERPA compliance, and academic integrity. The Chief AI Officer establishes this framework to balance innovation with institutional accountability.
Why is this role important?
As higher education enters an era of AI-enabled learning and data-driven decisions, this role guides how AI is integrated ethically and effectively, keeping the institution aligned with its mission, accreditation standards, and long-term innovation goals.
Need to hire a Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer?
Excelon Associates recruits AI, data, and digital transformation leaders for colleges and universities nationwide, connecting institutions with executives who can design responsible AI strategy, build governance frameworks, and lead campus-wide adoption. Retained executive search since 2007, headquartered in Asheville, NC.
More Sample Job Descriptions
Templates you can adapt for your own roles.