Chief Digital Officers
Machines can already do 49% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 69%. The job changes before it disappears.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
Chief Digital Officers in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 49% of this job's tasks.
- Forecast: machines can do half of its tasks by 2027, and 69% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Contact with people: it scores 72% for contact with people.
- Also called: CDO (Chief Digital Officer), Chief Digital and Information Officer, Digital Transformation Director, Head of Digital.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consult with users, management, vendors, and technicians to assess computing needs and system requirements | 10% | 70% to 81% | |
| Use sales forecasting or strategic planning to ensure the sale and profitability of products, lines, or services, analyzing business developments and monitoring market trends | 9% | 75% to 95% | |
| Identify, develop, or evaluate marketing strategy, based on knowledge of establishment objectives, market characteristics, and cost and markup factors | 9% | 72% to 82% | |
| Evaluate the organization's technology use and needs and recommend improvements, such as hardware and software upgrades | 9% | 75% to 85% | |
| Evaluate data processing proposals to assess project feasibility and requirements | 9% | 25% to 50% | |
| Initiate market research studies, or analyze their findings | 9% | 60% to 90% | |
| Lead digital transformation of products, channels and operations | 7% | 22% to 47% | |
| Confer with board members, organization officials, or staff members to discuss issues, coordinate activities, or resolve problems | 5% | 30% to 54% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills chief digital 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 Product Officers63% of tasks by 2035
- Chief Technology Officers60% of tasks by 2035
- Chief Information Officers59% of tasks by 2035
- Chief AI Officers68% of tasks by 2035
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Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of Chief Digital 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 digital officers?
Machines can do 49% of the tasks of chief digital officers today and 69% 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-C932 (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 Digital Officers: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/chief-digital-officers/