| When Dilek Bocuk took over as CIO at Siemens Mobility in 2022, the IT of the mobility division had positioned itself as an internal service provider. "On one hand, this sounds good at first, because IT positions itself cost-consciously,” she says. “But on the other, it’s perceived as an external provider and not part of the business.” And since this attitude was deeply rooted in the DNA of her department, Bocuk made it her mission to lure IT out of this mentality. "This is important, because only when you feel part of the business do you perceive a sense of duty and ownership," she says. Around the same time she became CIO, Open AI’s ChatGPT came onto the market and began to rapidly change the way IT was applied in companies. "The technology quickly gained a lot of attractiveness and encouragement from the company,” she says. “Above all, it stirred curiosity in the specialist departments, which has further fuelled my efforts to bring IT closer to the business." Since data is integral within the context of gen AI, IT almost automatically gained further importance for business. Previously, IT was the professional hardware and back-office operator that dealt with the hidden servers, networks, and core applications. "With gen AI, everyone has come into contact with IT, so it’s become tangible,” she adds. “Our goal is to be a present and active part of this development.” But Bocuk isn’t interested in control. Instead, IT should guide and advise. "Not all challenges should be solved by gen AI because it doesn't always make economic sense,” she says. “So we as a department must be able to decide together with the users which AI solutions have the potential to be helpful in the long term." Maintaining an eye level across the organization In addition to technical know-how, IT leaders must also be able to see eye to eye across the business, which starts at top management. | 
