Chief Data Officers
Machines can already do 48% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 74%. The job changes before it disappears.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
Chief Data Officers in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 48% of this job's tasks.
- Forecast: machines can do half of its tasks by 2027, and 74% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Contact with people: it scores 64% for contact with people.
- Also called: CDO (Chief Data Officer), Chief Data and Analytics Officer (CDAO), Head of Data, VP of Data.
Updated by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit. These are worldwide baseline figures; the Workforce Starburst shows them for your country. Go deeper: How ready am I? or an executive briefing.
How the work changes, task by task
The tasks that take up most of the day, with the share of each that machines can do in 2026 (dark) and 2035 (pink). Worldwide baseline.
| Task | Share of the day | Machines can do | 2026 to 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Develop and interpret organizational goals, policies, and procedures | 8% | 72% to 92% | |
| Develop database architectural strategies at the modeling, design and implementation stages to address business or industry requirements | 8% | 72% to 92% | |
| Create and enforce database development standards | 7% | 75% to 95% | |
| Identify and evaluate industry trends in database systems to serve as a source of information and advice for upper management | 7% | 60% to 90% | |
| Deliver oral or written presentations of the results of mathematical modeling and data analysis to management or other end users | 6% | 70% to 95% | |
| Recommend data-driven solutions to key stakeholders | 6% | 35% to 65% | |
| Identify business problems or management objectives that can be addressed through data analysis | 6% | 25% to 55% | |
| Set data strategy, data governance and data quality standards | 6% | 35% to 68% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills chief data officers use most, most used first.
Safer jobs nearby
Jobs with a similar skill shape where machines can do less of the work by 2035.
- Chief AI Officers68% of tasks by 2035
- Chief Technology Officers60% of tasks by 2035
- Chief Information Officers59% of tasks by 2035
- Chief Digital Officers69% of tasks by 2035
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Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of Chief Data Officers?
Machines can do half of its tasks by 2027. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.
Will AI take the job of chief data officers?
Machines can do 48% of the tasks of chief data officers today and 74% by 2035. The job changes before it disappears: the routine tasks move first.
Sources and citing
Tasks and their share of the day: O*NET 31.0, occupation 311-C930 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Pay and jobs: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. AI use today: Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Scoring and forecast: the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit; after 2035 the figures extend each trend, with lower confidence. Foresight, not advice.
Cite as: 311 Institute (2026). Chief Data Officers: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/chief-data-officers/