Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere. Conceptually, it’s been around for well over 70 years. Alan Turing is credited with introducing the idea for AI to the general public in 1950, via his paper, “Computing Machinery and Intelligence.” However, he was hardly the first person to ponder whether or not machines could achieve independent thought. Ava Lovelace had an opinion about it in the mid-1800s.
As it stands, current applications of artificial intelligence have been available for almost 10 years. Elon Musk and Sam Altman, among others, launched OpenAI, a private research laboratory that aims to develop and direct artificial intelligence, in 2015. Today, Google searches return information generated by AI. Additionally, some social media platforms offer users the option to “rewrite” a post using AI. Operating systems by Apple and Microsoft now come with AI baked in.
But concerns about its use remain unabated.
In late 2023, President Joe Biden issued an executive order “on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence.” As part of that order, federal agencies were each required to name a “chief artificial intelligence officer who shall hold primary responsibility in their agency, in coordination with other responsible officials, for coordinating their agency’s use of AI, promoting AI innovation in their agency, managing risks from their agency’s use of AI,” among other tasks.
Call it trickle down if you will, but the role of the chief artificial intelligence officer (CAIO) has reached the private sector, with more and more companies adding them—including in the door and window industry.
In August, West Shore Home announced it had appointed the company’s first chief data and AI officer in Eppie Vojt.
Last week, QXO Inc. announced that Ashwin Rao has been appointed chief artificial intelligence officer, effective immediately. He serves as the company’s principal AI architect, as QXO builds its reputation within the $800 billion building products distribution industry, company officials said.
“Artificial intelligence will permeate everything we do at QXO, including demand forecasting, inventory management and e-commerce. Ashwin is recognized as one of the brightest minds in enterprise AI. He will be instrumental in making QXO the most tech-forward company in the industry,” said Brad Jacobs, QXO’s chairperson and chief executive officer.
What is a chief artificial intelligence officer?
A CAIO is generally an executive role that guides a company’s use of AI, in whatever format—whether that’s using information gleaned from sources that may include AI or providing output that will be used to shape what artificial intelligence programs “know” and what information might be provided to an end user. (For more about what AI “thought” about the door and window market a little more than a year ago, CLICK HERE for [DWM] editor Drew Vass’ “interview” with ChatGPT.) The details of the position look different for every company, but overall it’s a role that requires candidates to be technologically savvy and have a broad knowledge of not only computers and the internet, but other skills yet to be determined.
According to his resume, Rao’s career in innovation spans more than 30 years, combining technological expertise and commercial instincts. He served as the first-ever head of AI for Target Corp. from 2016 through 2022. Rao was hired was hired to build the company’s entire AI function, but while there he led a team that developed mathematical models for pricing, merchandising, customer experience, supply chain logistics and other critical functions. According to QXO officials, Rao’s application of AI helped Target rebuild its entire supply chain and he led the initiative to build AI into Target’s core retail business, overhauling the product recommendation engine. At QXO, officials say he will build a team of about two dozen data scientists based in Palo Alto to build QXO’s AI function. The work he does will span the entire company, from route optimization in transportation, to robotics and automation in the warehouses to supply chain optimization, company officials said.
“The opportunities to use AI to transform the building products distribution industry are endless,” Rao said. “I’m excited to get started on dozens of AI workstreams that, combined with advantages of scale, will help QXO increase efficiency, optimize supply chains and add value for our customers.”
The company has recently raised additional $4.1 billion through two public investments in private equity (also known as PIPEs), as part of its plan to grow to $50 billion in revenue over the next decade.
Rao’s background will be a boon in this area too, as he began his career on Wall Street as a derivatives trading quant strategist with Goldman Sachs and later as managing director of market modeling for Morgan Stanley. He earned a doctorate in theoretical computer science from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. He serves as an adjunct professor of applied mathematics at Stanford University.