The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is now hiring for a new chief artificial intelligence officer (CAIO), after Jerry Ma stepped down from the role in May.
Ma, who first joined the USPTO in October 2020, joined artificial intelligence (AI) company Perplexity in May as the vice president of global affairs and deputy chief technology officer.
According to a job posting on USAJobs, the CAIO will advise the chief information officer (CIO) and deputy CIO on integrating AI and machine learning (ML) into USPTO operations. The position is designed to “advance the shared understanding” of how best to implement AI and ML across the agency.
“The USPTO is now hiring for its second-ever Chief AI Officer, and there exists no better agency for a civic-minded AI leader to jump in and start delivering,” Ma wrote in an Oct. 25 LinkedIn post.
“You will work at the crossroads of technology, policy, and public-sector innovation to support our nation in ensuring American leadership in AI for years and decades to come,” he added.
Newly confirmed USPTO Director and Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property John Squires called the CAIO opening “among our very first newly opened roles” in a LinkedIn comment on Ma’s post.
The CAIO will develop strategies on “best in class, appropriate forms of artificial intelligence and machine learning to achieve agency goals and deliver business value,” according to the job posting.
“The CAIO will serve as technical expert across all areas of the organization and collaboratively work with OCIO senior leadership and stakeholders as it relates to the investment and implementation of the current and relevant forms of AI, ML and [robotic process automation],” it says.
The CAIO must also offer technical expertise to the CIO and deputy CIO, provide hands-on engineering in AI-related areas, and possess leadership qualities.
The USPTO is accepting applications for the CAIO role until Nov. 25.