Agentic AI in the enterprise is changing the CIO's role faster than most governance models can keep up with. Systems that plan, act, and call tools on their own now sit within workflows the Chief Information Officer no longer fully owns. Meanwhile, boards continue to expect the same level of accountability for security, risk, and value.
This conversation addresses the operating questions CIOs face now: where authority sits when agents act independently, how to govern opaque model and vendor layers, and what effective oversight looks like when systems move faster than traditional review processes.
What you’ll learn:
Crawford and Scriffignano argue that conventional CIO governance frameworks, designed for systems that execute instructions, do not translate to agents that plan and act. The episode details what replaces them.
How the CIO mandate shifts from running systems to governing autonomous agents.
Managing trust, data, and control when the model and vendor layer is opaque.
A realistic response to shadow AI and “vibe coding” that protects the business without blocking it.
Designing oversight and operating models that work at machine speed.
Monday morning moves: concrete actions CIOs can take this quarter
JOIN LIVE AND ASK QUESTIONS
Friday, May 15
10am PT / 1pm ET
ADD TO CALENDAR
EPISODE PARTICIPANTS
Tim Crawford advises global CIOs on enterprise technology strategy and operating models. His work centers on how technology leaders maintain authority and accountability as AI agents take on more of the work.
Anthony Scriffignano, Ph.D. is a data scientist and Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center, with deep expertise in anomaly detection and opaque systems with a methodical perspective on trust, evidence, and control when AI agents operate with limited human oversight.
Michael Krigsman is an industry analyst and the host of CXOTalk. He has interviewed hundreds of senior executives on enterprise AI, IT strategy, and the organizational conditions that determine whether technology investments succeed or fail.
RECENT EPISODES
UPCOMING LIVE SCHEDULE
See www.cxotalk.com for the latest updates to our live programming schedule.
May 29: Raffi Krikorian, Chief Technology Officer, Mozilla
Jun 12: Aaron Levie, Founder and CEO, Box
Jun 19: Alex Singla, Global Leader, QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey
Jun 26: Eric Ries, Founder, Lean Startup Company
Jul 10: Andy Baldwin, Senior Vice President, IBM Consulting

