ICYMI: New models for AI spending and deployment, and a new definition for ‘CIO’

The world of tech moves fast. Every other week, we bring you some of the best stories to stay on top of the trends and at the top of your game. Here’s what you need to know:

CIO Dive: CIOs need transparent view of AI deployment

“With widening AI use across the enterprise, CIOs will need to develop a broader view of where the technology is deployed, how it’s tied to business outcomes and what overall cost looks like. 

‘More often, CIOs need to play the role of a chief integration officer by setting the architecture and controls,’ said Vlad Lukic, global leader for BCG’s tech and digital advantage practice. ‘Helping the business scale what works and making sure spend can be connected back to value, rather than managed as a collection of disconnected projects.’” Read more.

CIO.com: AI spending puts the squeeze on IT modernization, risking ROI

“IT modernization remains a key pillar of CIOs’ strategic agendas, and even CEOs are coming around to the value that addressing legacy systems has in fueling transformation and innovation. Yet a solid majority of application and infrastructure modernization projects are failing to meet expectations, with many IT leaders having to cut IT corners to divert money for AI, in addition to all the traditional problems that plague them.” Read more.

TechTarget: Token counts tell CIOs less as AI agents do more

“Tokens tell CIOs what an AI agent consumed. They do not necessarily tell them what it cost to get useful work done. As enterprises put agents to work across multistep processes, the total can also include tool calls, retries, failed attempts, and human intervention. That pushes CIOs toward a harder question: What should they actually measure?” Read more.

The Works: Julie Averill: ‘The job isn't about deploying technology anymore’

“The job of any IT leader [has gotten] a lot more complicated. They’re closer to the business now, while also managing a genuinely complex set of challenges that all move quickly—cost pressures, cybersecurity threats, moving at real speed—all while helping the company evolve. The old model, where you scope a project and it takes nine months or a year to ship, is gone. 

I think of the CIO as an innovator: flexible, culturally fluent, able to juggle a lot at once and prioritize ruthlessly. That's always been part of the job, it's just truer today.” Read more.