{"id":84759,"date":"2025-02-20T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=84759"},"modified":"2025-02-19T13:53:06","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T21:53:06","slug":"digital-labor-cio-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/stories\/digital-labor-cio-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"CIOs Who’ve Embraced AI Agents Share How To Get Started"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CIOs have long been at the forefront of AI innovation, but the rise of autonomous AI agents<\/a> marks a new era \u2014 one where digital labor<\/a> has the power to transform how businesses operate. This shift presents an exciting opportunity for CIOs<\/a> to boost efficiency, accelerate growth, and reimagine the workplace of the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, despite the momentum, many CIOs are navigating complex challenges. Nearly all executives (97%<\/a>) feel an urgency to adopt AI, but questions remain \u2014 like how to effectively integrate agents into existing infrastructure, how to realize real ROI, and how to keep everything secure. Today, only 11%<\/a> of CIOs have fully implemented AI \u2014 and they attribute this to the array of technical and organizational challenges that must be overcome first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Today, only 11%<\/a> of CIOs have fully implemented AI \u2014 and they attribute this to the array of technical and organizational challenges that must be overcome first.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

While many organizations are still finding their footing, some CIOs have already forged ahead. Here are three essential strategies they recommend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prepare your data for the agentic future<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Businesses everywhere are eager to capitalize on AI agents, which promise greater efficiency and productivity. Because agents are only as good as the data and metadata fueling them, success starts with being able to access the most accurate, relevant, and timely records from across an organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erin DeCesare, CTO of workplace food tech platform ezCater<\/a>, emphasized that building a strong data foundation is essential for bringing agents to life and maximizing their value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’ve heard the term standardization come up a lot as leaders are talking about where we’re going with AI<\/a> and how to successfully pass secure information back and forth so that agents can work across systems,\u201d DeCesare said. \u201cThat shared data ecosystem is a critical part of how we’re thinking about pulling all those data elements together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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That shared data ecosystem is a critical part of how we’re thinking about pulling all those data elements together.<\/p>\nErin DeCesare, CTO, ezCater<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

ezCater is deploying AI agents<\/a> to help users place orders more efficiently, which will allow their human agents to tackle more urgent customer inquiries related to delivery logistics and other onsite services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis gives us the confidence across the organization, including with our human agents, to feel that we are really empowering them in a better way to service the customer,\u201d DeCesare said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prioritize agentic ROI by focusing on business outcomes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The pressure to prove AI\u2019s returns on investment is mounting in the boardroom. While CIOs are enthusiastic<\/a> about AI\u2019s, 68% say their stakeholders have unreasonable expectations for when<\/em> ROI will occur. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Driving ROI for this rapidly evolving technology is a tall order for CIOs. They must evaluate various tools, compare vendors, and forecast potential impact across business units. But the most critical and complex piece of this process is getting business leaders to agree on what AI success actually looks like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PwC U.S. CIO and CTO James Shira underscored<\/a> the need for a clear vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFirst and foremost, you have to start with the outcome in mind,\u201d he said. \u201cI think you have to bring a perspective about what you\u2019re trying to drive. Each time we explore the introduction of new models, how are we going to see the flow down in terms of the outcomes we\u2019re promoting?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For CIOs, prioritizing desired outcomes first\u200c \u2014 \u200cthen building the AI stack to achieve them\u200c \u2014 \u200cis key, Shira added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n