Unclear AI Risk Ownership Could Leave CISOs in Familiar Scapegoat Role
TechTarget, Friday, October 9th, 2026
PwC finds no consensus on who owns AI risk, leaving CISOs accountable for AI incidents without matching authority.
PwC research shows only 17% of organizations formally assign AI governance and risk to CISOs, 29% to CIOs, CTOs or technology, 11% split it across functions, and a third have a dedicated role such as a chief AI officer.
Nemertes analyst Johna Till Johnson says a CISO's actual job is to be fired when something goes wrong, and AI is now one of the biggest somethings.
Security leaders argue that if they are held accountable for AI outcomes, they need authority and visibility to match.