Chief Medical Officers
Machines can already do 30% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 55%. The job changes before it disappears.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
Chief Medical Officers in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 30% of this job's tasks.
- Forecast: machines can do half of its tasks by 2033, and 55% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Contact with people: it scores 78% for contact with people.
- Also called: CMO (Chief Medical Officer), Medical Director, Chief Clinical Officer, Chief Physician Executive.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan, implement, and administer programs and services in a health care or medical facility, including personnel administration, training, and coordination of medical, nursing and physical plant staff | 7% | 20% to 42% | |
| Maintain awareness of advances in medicine, computerized diagnostic and treatment equipment, data processing technology, government regulations, health insurance changes, and financing options | 7% | 45% to 80% | |
| Manage change in integrated health care delivery systems, such as work restructuring, technological innovations, and shifts in the focus of care | 7% | 10% to 27% | |
| Maintain communication between governing boards, medical staff, and department heads by attending board meetings and coordinating interdepartmental functioning | 7% | 30% to 54% | |
| Establish objectives and evaluative or operational criteria for units managed | 7% | 42% to 75% | |
| Develop and implement organizational policies and procedures for the facility or medical unit | 7% | 22% to 46% | |
| Review and analyze facility activities and data to aid planning and cash and risk management and to improve service utilization | 7% | 50% to 85% | |
| Develop or expand and implement medical programs or health services that promote research, rehabilitation, and community health | 6% | 25% to 50% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills chief medical 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.
- Medical and Health Services Managers54% of tasks by 2035 · US median $123,860
- Chief Executives50% of tasks by 2035 · US median $213,990
- Chief Legal Officers53% of tasks by 2035
- Chief Operating Officers50% of tasks by 2035
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Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of Chief Medical Officers?
Machines can do half of its tasks by 2033. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.
Will AI take the job of chief medical officers?
Machines can do 30% of the tasks of chief medical officers today and 55% 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-C941 (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 Medical Officers: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/chief-medical-officers/