Who Owns the Future of Work? (CHRO)
A Board-Level Perspective on AI, Work Capital, and Executive Accountability.
For three decades, we treated every major shift as a technology problem. Digital transformation focused on systems. Cloud focused on infrastructure. Data focused on information.
AI is different. AI doesn’t primarily change systems — it changes work itself.
That single distinction reshapes a question most boards haven’t formally answered: if AI is transforming work, which executive should be accountable for how work changes?
Most organizations default that responsibility to technology leaders. This position paper makes the case that the best-positioned leader is the CHRO — not because AI is an HR initiative, but because AI is fundamentally a work transformation.
Inside the paper:
- Why Work Capital is emerging as a governable strategic asset alongside financial and technology capital
- The economic chain that turns work redesign into enterprise value
- A new executive accountability model — CEO, CHRO, CFO, CIO, CISO, COO
- Five questions every board should be asking about its AI initiatives
A Five Opportunities Position Paper by Richard Francart, Creator of Work-First Decision Intelligence (WFDI).