Only an IT Thing? Leading the AI Agenda. The Role of CIOs versus CTOs in Shaping AI Orientation

Master's Thesis from the year 2025 in the subject Business economics, grade: 1,3, University of Münster (Lehrstuhl für Entrepreneurship), language: English, abstract: Building on Upper Echelons Theory, this study investigates the influence of chief information officers (CIOs) and chief technology officers (CTOs) on firms' AI orientation by analyzing question-and-answer sections from earnings conference calls With the growing significance of artificial intelligence (AI), the examination of a company's overall strategic alignment towards the development and use of AI, referred to as AI orientation, has captured increased attention in the literature. However, the impact of technology-focused TMT roles on such strategic alignment in U.S. companies remains ambiguous. Based on the premise that IT and AI investments are strongly interdependent within firms, this study also explores the moderating effect of industry IT intensity. Using a panel dataset comprising 3,811 firm-year observations of U.S. S&P 500 companies from 2012 to 2020, the results confirm a positive effect of CTO presence on AI orientation. Unexpectedly, no significant effect of CIO presence or a moderating effect of industry IT intensity on the relationship between CIO, CTO, and AI was identified. These findings not only highlight the strategic importance of the CTO role in U.S. companies but also underscore differences between CIO and CTO roles. This study contributes to the literature by exploring the distinct impacts of specific TMT roles on AI orientation in U.S. firms and identifying relevant areas for future research, such as a deeper analysis of the differences between IT and AI in companies and the role of AI literacy within the TMT.