Dao now has a strong data platform for AI exploration, and he encourages other digital leaders to get involved. “As a business, we must think about how to prepare and ensure our data is ready for agents,” he says. “If your organization is still skeptical about AI, I’d say they should get past that fear because the potential is real.”

2. Focus on amplification. Ankur Anand, CIO at recruitment specialist Harvey Nash, says effective digital leaders will treat AI agents as a new layer of cognitive infrastructure that amplifies human expertise. He says research from thinkers like Anil Seth shows intelligence relies on prediction, interpretation, and context. AI agents excel at the first two, but still depend on human judgment to create meaning. Digital leaders should design operating models in which humans set direction, and agents execute at scale, speed, and precision.

“CIOs can lead their people into an agentic‑enabled future by setting a clear purpose, building trust through governance, and redesigning work around hybrid human‑agent workflows,” Anand says. “They should define decision rights, approved data sources, and guardrails so agents operate transparently and safely, while people retain accountability and oversight.”