Labor Department names deputy CIO Louis Charlier as chief AI officer

The Labor Department has named Deputy Chief Information Officer Louis Charlier as its chief AI officer, a department spokesperson confirmed to FedScoop on Thursday. 

Charlier’s new role comes as agencies across the federal government have been designating their CAIOs following President Joe Biden’s October AI executive order. That order requires agencies to designate such an official after the corresponding Office of Management and Budget guidance is finalized, but many agencies are getting a head start. 

So far, 14 of the 24 Chief Financial Officer Act agencies have named a CAIO.

As CAIO, Charlier will be responsible for coordinating the department’s use of AI, promoting AI innovations, and managing risks associated with the technology. DOL’s public inventory for AI, which is required of agencies, includes 18 use cases for the technology, including chatbots, document processing, and audio transcription. 

Charlier was already handling the role of responsible AI official, which was required by a Trump administration executive order on AI.

According to his DOL biography, Charlier “has more than 30 years of leadership and transformational experience in the military, private, and public sectors initiating and implementing enterprise-wide, IT capabilities and strategies.” Charlier has been at DOL for more than 17 years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Rebecca Heilweil contributed to this article.