CIO Role In Unlocking Strategic Value: How To Determine And Implement AI Use Cases
InformationWeek, Thursday, January 22nd, 2026
AI-savvy CIOs act as educators, co-creators and translators, aligning technology with business goals to drive measurable value and transformation.
Without question, CIOs play a critical role in pinpointing high-value use cases for AI. CIO Nicole Coughlin, who leads IT for the Town of Cary, N.C., put it this way:
"Our job is to listen, really listen, for patterns and pain points in how work gets done," Coughlin said. Without this linkage between the CIO and the business, real AI value cannot be created, she said.