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Hello, Visionary CTOs! 🌟

Today, we're diving deep into how CTOs can spark innovation, navigate the rise of AI, and empower teams to tackle sophisticated threats head-on.

Grab a coffee, settle in, and let's explore the future of tech leadership together.

📰 Upcoming in this issue

• 🛠️ CTOs’ Playbook for Unlocking Sustainable Growth

• 🧩 The Augmented IT Team: How AI Is Redefining Roles & Skills

• ⚠️ Seven Ways to Train Employees to Spot Deepfakes

📈 Trending news

• How Emerging Technologies Are Redefining Enterprise Architecture

• Eric Schmidt Says We're Underestimating the AI Revolution

• Why CTOs Are Now Leading the Charge on Business Transformation

🛠️ CTOs’ Playbook for Unlocking Sustainable Growth

Forbes Tech Council contributors from Zeta Global, Symba, Boomi, and more share strategies CTOs can use to spark innovation, streamline operations, and drive cross-functional impact for long-term success.

Read the full article here »

Key Takeaways:

• 🔄 Streamline & Automate Workflows: CTOs should identify repetitive processes and apply automation tools to free teams for higher-impact work, boosting productivity and morale.

• 🧪 Pilot Emerging Tech Smartly: Testing AI, cloud, or analytics in controlled environments helps validate ROI before scaling—minimizing risk while accelerating innovation.

• 🛠️ Turn Tech Complexity into Strategy: Transform technical architecture into strategic advantages by aligning tech efforts with key business outcomes and customer value.

• 🤝 Build Cross-Functional Bridges: Collaborate with other C-suite leaders and front-line teams to ensure tech investments support company-wide goals—not just IT objectives.

🧩 The Augmented IT Team: How AI Is Redefining Roles & Skills

CIO highlights that AI isn’t displacing IT teams—it’s reshaping them. As automation takes over routine work, IT professionals must level up in areas like AI model monitoring, data governance, security, and cross-functional collaboration to stay relevant.

Read the full article here »

Key Takeaways:

• 👩‍💻 Upskill for AI-Driven Roles: IT teams need new skills in automation platforms, AI ethics, model monitoring, and data governance to manage AI-enabled workflows effectively.

• 🧠 AI as a Force Multiplier: With AI taking over repetitive tasks, IT professionals are shifting toward creative problem-solving, security oversight, and strategic innovation.

• 💼 Skill & Budget Alignment: As 42% of orgs boost AI IT budgets but only 22% hire more staff, leaders must clearly define human vs automated work and invest strategically in upskilling.

• 🔐 Security, Risk & Governance: With rising AI-related threats, IT must build competencies in securing AI systems, ensuring model explainability, and data stewardship

⚠️ Seven Ways to Train Employees to Spot Deepfakes

CTO Magazine outlines a seven-step program organizations can implement to empower staff in detecting deepfakes—from immersive drills to bias reduction—turning every employee into a line of defense against AI-driven fraud.

Read the full article here »

Key Takeaways:

• 🎭 Immersive Awareness Training: Simulated deepfake content (video, audio, text) helps employees recognize red flags—like unnatural speech or blurry visuals—with quarterly refreshers to stay ahead.

• 🧲 Phishing + Deepfake Drills: Integrate deepfake elements into social-engineering simulations; immediate feedback and rewards reinforce learning and vigilance.

• 🔍 Verify to Confirm: Enforce protocols for validating unusual requests (e.g., wire transfers) using secondary authentication and deepfake-detection tools like video analyzers.

• 🧠 Mitigate Cognitive Biases: Train staff to overcome biases—urgency, authority, confirmation—by promoting a “verify, then trust” mindset.

Why It Matters

Understanding these trends matters because the role of technology leaders is shifting rapidly—and staying ahead means embracing innovation while safeguarding against emerging risks.

Stay informed and agile, and you'll turn today's tech challenges into tomorrow's opportunities.

Rachel Miller
Editor-in-Chief
CTO Executive Insights