CHROs and CIOs to share AI leadership at 30% of organisations by 2029: Gartner

As artificial intelligence reshapes business operations, Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) and Chief Information Officers (CIOs) are expected to take on increasingly shared responsibility for AI transformation. According to Gartner, by 2029, 30% of organisations will establish blended HR-IT teams to accelerate AI enablement and support workforce redesign.

The prediction reflects a broader shift in how companies approach AI adoption. Rather than treating AI as a technology project managed solely by IT, organisations are increasingly recognising its impact on jobs, skills, workflows and workforce planning.

AI pushes HR and IT closer together

Speaking in a Gartner Q&A released on August 17, Mark Whittle, Vice President Analyst in Gartner's HR practice, said successful AI transformation requires intentional collaboration between HR and IT leadership.

According to Gartner, organisations do not necessarily need to merge HR and IT functions. However, both teams must work more closely in areas where technology and workforce strategy intersect.

Whittle noted that AI deployment is creating new challenges that extend beyond technology implementation, making workforce redesign a shared leadership responsibility.

Key areas of shared ownership

Gartner identified several capabilities where CHROs and CIOs are expected to jointly drive decision-making:

• AI ethics and governance, including risk management, bias mitigation and safety oversight.
• Skills-based talent management to align evolving work requirements with human and AI capabilities.
• Total cost of work analysis, measuring the combined cost and value generated by employees and AI systems.
• Human-agent work redesign, including task allocation, workflow restructuring and decision-making responsibilities.
• Human-AI performance management, covering measurement frameworks and oversight of augmented work.

According to Gartner, these areas increasingly sit between traditional HR and IT responsibilities, requiring closer coordination between the two functions.

Four actions for CHROs and CIOs

Gartner urged HR leaders to move beyond broad discussions about AI and establish practical operating mechanisms with their technology counterparts.

The research and advisory firm outlined four immediate actions:

• Agree on shared responsibilities and operating principles for talent and technology decisions.
• Create accountability structures that enable business leaders to execute AI-related changes while following common standards.
• Measure readiness for AI adoption, not just business outcomes.
• Embed HR and IT expertise within business teams through AI squads, fusion teams and cross-functional roles.

According to Gartner, these steps can help organisations scale AI-enabled work redesign while maintaining governance and consistency.

Risks of siloed AI decision-making

Gartner warned that organisations could face significant challenges if HR and IT continue to manage AI initiatives independently.

The firm said capabilities such as skills-based talent management, human-AI performance management and workforce capacity planning no longer fit neatly within a single function as agentic AI becomes more prevalent.

Potential risks highlighted by Gartner include:

• Decisions made without sufficient human safeguards.
• Weak regulatory and compliance oversight.
• Data protection concerns.
• Ethical accountability gaps.
• Misalignment between business objectives and workforce outcomes.

The firm also cautioned that CHROs may be forced to manage workforce consequences from AI deployments they did not help design, while CIOs could become responsible for people-related challenges outside their traditional remit.

AI transformation enters a new phase

The findings come as organisations move from AI experimentation towards enterprise-wide deployment. Gartner said businesses risk limiting the value of AI if leadership responsibilities remain fragmented.

Whittle noted that HR leaders must become active participants in shaping how work changes in the AI era rather than responding after technology decisions have already been made.

With AI increasingly influencing workforce planning, skills development and job design, Gartner's forecast suggests collaboration between HR and IT could become a defining feature of organisational leadership over the next several years.

As companies seek to unlock measurable value from AI investments, the ability of CHROs and CIOs to jointly manage technology adoption and workforce transformation is likely to become a critical competitive differentiator.