Many chief data officers (CDOs) found their job may be temporary, while others worry that their profession is unnecessary due to the importance of AI. A recent survey found that almost one-third don’t believe their position will be around long term.
There are several opinions on this profession . About 48% this position has a successful career, while another 48% thinking that this profile is under developing but might be a high profile job in future and A small percentage—around 5%—its a complete failure.
A report from Gartner suggests that if CDOs don’t develop their knowledge according to the growing age of AI and don’t adopt the evolution of new AI technology , their role might be handed to the IT team . Many experts believe that uncertainty about the future of this role , because this profession get importance during the financial crisis of year 2008-2009.
Many CDOs stated themselves as change leaders, helping companies to better understand the handling of data. As AI data driven technology is more common and able to give the perfect output In large tech companies,companies no need a specific person for data practices. Everyone already understands the value of data so still the position of CDO i s really needed ? It’s a question now .
The big concern is the rise of AI. The rise of AI created a post of Chief AI officer which was also able to handle the responsibility of CDO. On the other hand, the fact is, the role and responsibility of a CDO is only known by half of the company without any kind of future perspective .Many CDOs think that they get enough support from their team officials or higher authority. The profession is also short life span , with more than half of CDOs staying in their role for less than three years.
Beside this factor, the role of CDO is very essential for a company , even in the short changes. The need for experts who can organize and make sense of data is only increasing. Some also suggest that during the growing AI period, the role of CDO will be more important because companies need strong data analysis to functionize the AI program in an effective manner.
Anil Inamdar from NetApp Instaclustr gives an example of comparison of CDOs role with the navigator having an idea of traditional method of navigating. As for his statement after the introduction of the modern method of navigation, the old navigator was also needed to guide the way because it remained the same , the moral of this statement was, the profile is not disappearing, it’s just changing .
Daniel Kearney, a technology leader, said that as long as data is the backbone for business success, companies will need CDOs or similar roles. To manage and protect the data in a specific manner is more important in big companies, especially as AI is now in an advanced stage, so we need a CDO to manage data in the proper way to get the best output and effective result.
Like other professions, the CDO profession is also evolving . Nowadays the volume of data is continuously increasing with the increasing rate of complexity so the CDO needs to analyse the data in the proper way and give some valuable insight from the high volume and complexity of data. So the role is not disappearing, it’s just transforming with the new age of technology.
As AI is common, companies focus on the profession which can ensure that data is accurate and useful. Businesses that fail to prioritize data management risk facing several issues . That’s why, if the title is changed,the role will remain the same.
Some experts believe that the CDO’s should integrate themselves with AI and automation. AI completely depends upon the perfect and accurate data. If data is not accurate and it’s not arranged in proper manner then the result will be also hampered. This means companies will continue to need someone who can arrange and manage the data in the proper way and also analysed the valuable insights within the high volume of data.
The role of CDO and chief AI officer should be merged , suggested by some other experts. In some organizations it’s already happened . But it does not depend upon the job title whether it is gonna be changed or not. companies will still need someone to guide data strategy and ensure data is used effectively.
Another challenge is to prove their presence in business success and importance for it. Many executives don’t fully understand the role of a CDO and how they contribute to making the foundation of the company. To stay relevant, CDOs must show their skill and also show how they contribute to the business. This could mean improving decision-making, increasing efficiency, or even generating new revenue through data-driven services.
Still in some fields the role of CDO is affected by company culture, some of them think that CDO is just a profile to work in the back office of the company. Those companies have already focused on key data for their CDO role is not necessary , but the company which is still struggling to use data in an effective manner, needs this profile very crucially.
CDOs need a mix of technical skills and leadership abilities,must understand data management, analytics, and AI. The most successful CDO act as intermediate between technical teams and business leaders, ensuring that data strategy aligns with company goals.
Looking ahead, the CDO role will continue to evolve. As companies collect more data and AI becomes more advanced, data leadership will only become more critical. The title may disappear, but the need for someone to overlook the data and keep its value remains the same.
In conclusion, when some of the personalities from this profession think it doesn’t have any future, some experts say that companies always need data experts. Whether the name of these designation changes or stays but every company needs an expert who can convert the data into valuable insights.
