When Job Meets Passion – What does a Chief AI Officer do?

AI isn’t just a tech topic – it’s changing the way we work, the products we build and how we make decisions. What do things look like when you’re actively helping to shape these changes? Our Chief AI Officer, Patrick Meier, shares his personal journey with AI and gives a behind-the-scenes look at his role at MID.

My Journey with AI

My passion for AI didn’t start in a lab or a big corporation – it began over ten years ago in my first startup. Back then, we built an intelligent newsreader that learned from user feedback which articles were most relevant. For readers, that meant: more time for what really matters. For publishers: new business models based on data instead of circulation numbers. At the same time, I completed a distance-learning degree in applied computer science, focusing on AI and machine learning. After that, I kind of lost sight of the topic for a few years. In my next startups and freelance projects, AI played more of a bit part – until the end of 2022.

The Game Changer: ChatGPT

When ChatGPT came out, I instantly knew: This is the start of something big. Even though I was a bit skeptical at first about how powerful it really was, I started testing its limits right away – and was blown away by what it could already do. Together with my co-founders, I built an AI-powered ad agency and a prop trading company. AI played a central role in all processes – from marketing and sales to software development.

Starting at MID

In September 2023, I started my journey with MID as a team manager for Smartfacts. Smartfacts is a powerful platform developed by MID GmbH, designed for traceability and configuration management in complex development environments. The goal: help companies ensure end-to-end traceability throughout the entire digital development process – from requirements and architecture to testing and source code. In my role at Smartfacts, I introduced the first AI elements into the development team. GitHub Copilot is an example of this, which supports our software developers in their daily work and significantly boosts productivity.

MID recognized early on that AI is becoming a key player in today’s business world. To stay ahead of the curve and not just keep up but actively grow our competitive edge, our management decided to go all-in on AI with a clear strategy. It became clear: We need a strong vision, a central driver and a solid plan. That’s why the decision was made to create a new role – Chief AI Officer. Since January 2025, I’ve had the honor of bringing that role to life.

Patrick Meier, Chief AI Officer at MID GmbH

My Mission: To drive and implement AI solutions across all areas of the company. The goal? To unlock the huge potential of AI for our internal processes, our products and how we interact with customers. This role lets me combine my love for tech with my entrepreneurial experience – and work with my amazing colleagues to turn MID into a future-oriented, AI-powered organization.

So, what does a Chief AI Officer actually do?

It’s a pretty diverse role, but there are three main areas:

• Strategy: I figure out where we want to go with AI, which opportunities are most promising, and which projects we should tackle first.

• Enablement: From trainings and tools to internal events and our new Community of Practice – I make sure everyone at MID can use AI confidently and productively.

• Governance & Data Organization: Things like data privacy, model monitoring and choosing the right platforms – I set the guidelines so innovation can happen on a solid foundation.

In short: I turn cutting-edge tech into smart business decisions – always keeping speed and responsibility in mind.
What do I love most about my job? Always learning something new. I read books, watch cool talks on YouTube, scroll through threads on X and test new tech with my team every week. Right now, we’re diving into AI models for video and audio synthesis, building voice agents and integrating agent-based approaches into our software development. It keeps us on the cutting edge – and lets us actively shape the future.

AI Ready in Five Months

In just a short time, we’ve made huge progress at MID. I’m lucky to be supported by an awesome AI team. Everyone brings solid AI expertise and plays a key role – whether it’s designing and rolling out internal AI initiatives, developing our first AI agents for software products or organizing our Community of Practice.
Together, we’ve hit some major milestones in just five months:

• Created internal guidelines and data protection processes for safe and responsible AI use

• Rolled out tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity and auto minutes for meetings.

• Built a scalable AI infrastructure so we can test and launch AI apps efficiently

• Launched our quarterly Community of Practice – a space for everyone to connect, learn and build their own use cases

One standout moment was our first Community of Practice on March 14, 2025 – and it was a total hit! Interest was huge and the feedback was super positive. What made me happiest? People didn’t just find the content exciting – they found it genuinely useful for their work. We had sessions on current AI trends and how AI is used in software development, plus hands-on workshops. Topics included prompt engineering and AI-powered workflow automation – where participants got to see firsthand how AI can improve their day-to-day tasks.

More Highlights from the First Few Months:

• Active involvement in the KIMBA research project with BMW, Schaeffler and Aleph Alpha
• Development of our first prototype “MIRA” for Innovator: an agent-based chatbot that can answer questions about complex system models
• Introduction of workflow automation with n8n to make repetitive tasks more efficient
• Design and launch of the “AI Compass” strategy workshop with the Future Business team

All of this shows: We’re just getting started, but we’re heading in the right direction. With every project, prototype and training, we’re building a stronger foundation for sustainable AI across the whole organization.

Where We’re Headed: Our AI Compass

After successfully kicking off our internal AI initiatives, it’s time for the next step – launching our AI Compass on the market. The AI Compass helps medium-sized companies figure out their own AI potential, map it out strategically and find clear implementation paths. In a hands-on workshop, we work with clients to assess their AI maturity, identify relevant use cases and build a custom roadmap for their business. The goal: Give clarity in a fast-moving space – and help companies take action.

You can already test your company’s AI readiness with our free AI Self Check on our website.

Free AI Self Check: How Ready is your Company for Artificial Intelligence?

I’m also sharing our insights and lessons learned as a speaker at three major AI events:

KI Ready Conference 2025
The KI-READY CONFERENCE 2025 will take place in Nürtingen near Stuttgart on May 27 and 28 — and we will be there as a sponsor with our own booth and a presentation. Participants can expect exciting live demos, interactive workshops, inspiring talks, and plenty of networking opportunities. On May 28 at 1:30 PM my presentation will take place, in which I will show how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can automate typical challenges such as customer service, sales, or documentation entirely without programming knowledge using “AI-powered workflow automation”. Find out more.

Nürnberg Digital Festival 2025
Nürnberg Digital Festival is one of the biggest regional events for digitalization, tech and innovation. On Friday 4. July 2025, we’re hosting a free AI Lunch & Learn at MID from 12-4 p.m.. If you’re in the Nuremberg area, I’d love to personally invite you to join us for an afternoon full of insights where we can share our knowledge with you. Connect with the local AI community over finger food and aromatic coffee! Talks and interactive sessions will cover topics like AI in medium-sized businesses, prompt engineering, New Work & AI. Register now.

KI-X HR 2025
KI-X HR is all about how AI is changing the workplace – from recruiting and HR development to company culture. Together with Yvonne Schulist, Head of Consulting Future Business, I’ll give a talk on how HR teams in medium-sized companies can get started with AI. How do you take the first step? What do you really need to make AI work – without getting lost in the hype? We’ll share practical examples, showing how you can get started without a big IT department or massive budget – just a clear strategy. Find out more.

Want to Connect?

2025 is all about action, collaboration and growth – with the goal of making AI a real added-value in our products and processes, not just a buzzword. I’m excited to share what we’ve learned and help shape the future together with partners, clients and all those interested in AI. Thinking about introducing AI into your company? Feel free to reach out – I’d love to chat and explore ideas together!