C-level technology roles have proliferated over the past few decades. Chief information officers first appeared in the early 1980s. Next, chief technology officers became common in high-tech firms, and then spread to other types of businesses. These roles were followed by chief information security officers, chief data officers, chief analytics officers, and chief digital officers. Most recently, chief artificial intelligence officers have appeared. Their numbers have greatly increased with the rise of generative AI over the past few years.
