*AI puts IT at the centre of business change – now CIOs must turn that moment into influence.*

4 things CIOs must get right to build influence

AI has put IT at the centre of business change. For CIOs, this is a rare opportunity to move IT from operational provider to strategic guide. But that influence will not come from shipping more technology alone.

If IT remains seen as useful and necessary, but too complicated and not strategic, the opportunity will be lost. And the cost is not only lower adoption or weaker ROI. It is also reputational: fewer senior leaders see IT as a business partner, and the best talent may stop seeing IT as the place where the future is shaped.

Summary

In this episode of A Change in Conversation, we explore why CIOs now have a window to strengthen the role, visibility and influence of IT. The episode focuses on four things CIOs must get right: a clear IT strategy narrative, a sharper view of reputation risk across the IT portfolio, sustained usage of key technologies, and a stronger role as storytellers and educators in the age of AI and data. The core message is simple: IT cannot rely on technology to speak for itself anymore. CIOs must actively explain where IT is going, why it matters, and how it enables the business strategy.

AI Has Created a New Moment for IT

For years, many CIOs have wanted IT to be seen as more than a function that keeps systems running, solves incidents and delivers projects.

That ambition is not new.

What is new is the context.

AI, data, cybersecurity, automation and platform decisions have moved into the centre of business conversations. These are no longer technical side topics. They shape productivity, risk, compliance, customer experience, workforce capability and competitive advantage.

That gives IT a much stronger opening.

The business now needs guidance. Leaders want to understand what AI means for their function. They want clarity on what is possible, what is safe, what is realistic, and what should be avoided. They need someone who can translate technology into business meaning.

This is where CIOs can build influence.

But there is also a risk. If IT responds only with governance, technical detail, roadmap slides and system language, it may reinforce exactly the perception it wants to escape: important, but hard to understand. Necessary, but not strategic. Reliable, but not inspiring.

Influence is not created by being involved in every technology decision. It is created when the business sees IT as a function that gives orientation, reduces uncertainty and enables progress.

That requires four shifts.

1. Make the IT Strategy Clear Enough to Travel

Most IT functions have a strategy. That is usually not the problem.

The problem is that the strategy is often written for people who already understand IT. It is technically correct, but too complex. It explains architecture, platforms, systems, governance and priorities, but it does not always create a simple reference frame that people can use.

A strong IT strategy should do more than document direction. It should help people understand it.

Inside IT, it should give teams a shared sense of purpose. It should help people see how their work connects to the bigger picture. It should make priorities easier to explain, defend and act on.

Outside IT, it should help business peers understand what IT is trying to achieve, why certain choices are being made, and where the boundaries are.

This matters because unclear strategy creates friction. When leaders do not understand the direction, they keep asking for exceptions. They push for side projects. They assume everything can be added. IT ends up in defensive mode, constantly explaining why something is not possible, not in scope or not a priority.

A clear strategy narrative changes that.

It gives CIOs a way to say: this is where we are going, this is why it matters, this is what we will focus on, and this is what we will not do.

From a behavioural science perspective, this is about reducing cognitive load. People do not act on complexity. They act on what they can understand, repeat and apply.

A 50-slide strategy deck rarely creates that. A clear narrative can.

2. Look at the IT Portfolio Through a Reputation Lens

IT portfolios are often assessed through familiar lenses: cost, risk, technical dependency, compliance, resource demand and business priority.

All of those matter.

But there is another lens CIOs need to apply more deliberately: reputation and perception.

Some projects may be technically complex but largely invisible to the business. Others may be smaller in budget, but highly visible to employees, leaders or customers. Some initiatives may carry a high risk of frustration, confusion or pushback. Others may create strong opportunities to show the value of IT in a tangible way.

If CIOs only prioritise based on technical or financial criteria, they may miss this perception reality.

That matters because IT reputation is not shaped by the portfolio as a whole. It is shaped by the moments people notice.

A frustrating tool rollout. A confusing access process. A high-profile AI initiative with unclear rules. A delayed platform change that affects business continuity. A project that employees experience as “just another system” rather than as an enabler of better work.

These moments influence how IT is talked about.

So CIOs need to ask different questions:

Which initiatives could damage trust if they are handled poorly?

Which projects are highly visible to senior stakeholders?

Where could confusion create unnecessary noise?

Which initiatives could strengthen IT’s profile if they are explained well?

Where do we need more stakeholder engagement, clearer communication or stronger leadership involvement?

This does not mean every project needs the same level of effort. It means resources should match not only technical complexity, but also perception risk and opportunity.

That is a more mature way to protect IT’s influence.

3. Make Sustained Usage a Measure of IT Success

Technology does not create value because it is launched. It creates value when people use it in the right way, consistently, over time.

This is especially true for AI tools, data platforms, ERP systems, workflow tools and business applications. The business case often depends on changed behaviour: better decisions, faster processes, higher compliance, reduced manual work, improved transparency or more consistent execution.

If usage stays low, fragmented or non-compliant, value leaks out of the investment.

This is where CIOs need to be careful. A successful rollout can still be a weak business outcome. The platform may be live, the licenses may be active, the training may be completed, but the organisation may not have changed how work actually happens.

For IT influence, this matters deeply.

When people experience technology as added effort, unclear benefit or “another tool,” they do not blame an abstract adoption process. They blame IT. That affects trust. It affects sponsorship. It affects the credibility of the next business case.

Sustained usage should therefore be part of how IT defines success.

Not as a soft metric. As a value metric.

Are people using the technology in the intended way?

Are leaders reinforcing it?

Are teams falling back into old habits?

Are there groups where usage is strong and others where it is weak?

Are there clear signals that the tool is creating the intended business benefit?

This is not about pushing adoption language into every topic. It is about protecting ROI and reputation. If technology is not used properly, IT’s strategic promise becomes much harder to defend.

4. Become the Storyteller and Educator the Business Needs

The fourth shift may be the most uncomfortable for many CIOs.

IT can no longer assume that good work will speak for itself.

In a business environment shaped by AI, data, cyber risk and constant technology choice, CIOs need to explain more. They need to tell a clearer story about what IT is achieving, why it matters, and what the business needs to understand.

This is not showmanship. It is leadership.

Many IT teams deliver substantial value that remains under-visible. They improve resilience. They reduce risk. They protect data. They simplify processes. They enable automation. They create the conditions for productivity and growth.

But if this is communicated in technical language, through dry status updates or only when something goes wrong, the value remains hidden.

CIOs need to connect technology to the company context.

What does AI mean for our business?

Where can it create value?

What are the limits?

What are the risks?

What do employees need to understand?

What does responsible usage look like?

Where does data quality become a business issue, not just an IT issue?

This is where IT and AI literacy become part of the CIO role.

People are interested in technology. They read about AI. They hear about cybercrime. They see public debates about data, automation and job impact. They bring rational questions and emotional concerns into the workplace.

If IT does not help interpret these topics, others will fill the gap. That can create confusion, unrealistic expectations or unnecessary fear.

CIOs do not need to become entertainers. But they do need to become clearer narrators of technology in the business.

In that sense, the CIO is increasingly also a Chief Storytelling Officer for the IT function and for technology more broadly. Not because storytelling is nice, but because attention, trust and understanding now shape whether IT gets influence.

What IT Leaders Should Remember

AI and data have created a real window for IT to strengthen its role.

A clear IT strategy narrative helps teams and stakeholders understand priorities.

Portfolio decisions should consider reputation risk, not only cost and technical complexity.

Sustained usage of key technologies is essential to ROI and IT credibility.

CIOs must explain technology in business terms, internally and externally.

Listen to the full episode of A Change in Conversation to learn how CIOs can turn the AI moment into greater visibility, stronger tech adoption and more influence where decisions are made.

Check the influence of your IT
If you want to assess where IT influence is strongest – and where it is most exposed — take the Strategic IT Influence Check: https://www.cosyn.agency/it-influence-check