At Cisco, Kale emphasizes that autonomy in AI should be viewed as a behavioral signal rather than a design choice. The critical point occurs when humans transition from decision-makers to post-mortem reviewers, marking AI’s shift from assistant to actor without explicit leadership decisions. Once this threshold is crossed, CIOs must redefine operating and accountability models. With AI managing workflows and humans in exception management roles, shared accountability becomes essential. CIOs should collaborate with COOs, CHROs, and legal teams to clearly delineate responsibility for intent, execution, and outcomes, as AI increases the need for firm accountability. Additionally, treating organizational culture as an operational control is vital. Companies that effectively manage probabilistic outcomes and question automated decisions are better equipped for AI autonomy. This may involve retraining managers to supervise digital workers, akin to managing skilled junior employees rather than mere tool users.
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