The recent appointment of a Chief AI Ethics Officer (CAIO) in government agencies and businesses is a response to the growing significance of artificial intelligence (AI) as a strategic and business priority. President Biden’s Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence has mandated that all federal agencies appoint CAOs to ensure the coordination of AI usage within the agency and implement safeguards to protect human rights and public safety.
Another factor influencing the rise of CAOs is the increasing use of AI within NASA. While NASA is commonly associated with sending people and objects into space, its daily operations now involve managing vast amounts of data from various sources like satellites, telescopes, and space missions. This data also relates to research on climate change and exoplanet detection, highlighting the importance of a CAIO to oversee the ethical use of AI within the agency.
The growing significance of AI as a strategic and business priority, especially with the emergence of generative AI, has prompted organizations to view AI not just as an engineering issue but as a critical aspect of their operations. This shift in perspective has led to the adoption of the CAIO role in both government agencies and business settings, signifying the widespread recognition of the importance of ethical AI implementation.
