A striking disconnect has emerged in enterprise data strategy: while a large majority of Chief Data Officers (CDOs) are racing to build AI capabilities, far fewer believe their organisations are truly ready to support them. A new global study published today by IBM Institute for Business Value surveyed 1,700 senior data and analytics leaders across 27 geographies and 19 industries.
Shifting role of the CDO
Traditionally seen as stewards of data governance and infrastructure, CDOs now find themselves pushed into strategic business roles.
The Study Shows..
- 92 % of CDOs say their focus must be on business outcomes to succeed in their roles.
- However, only about one-third strongly agree they can clearly explain how data supports business results, and just 29 % have defined metrics for data-driven outcomes.
- Deploying data for competitive advantage has overtaken governance and security as the top priority.
AI ambitions are high, but readiness is lower than expected
Among leaders, confidence in AI remains high, but the foundation may be weaker than many assume. Key findings:
- 81 % of CDOs say their data strategy is aligned with technology/infrastructure investments, up from 52 % in 2023.
- Yet only 26 % express confidence that their data can support new AI-enabled revenue streams.
- While 80 % have begun building diverse datasets to train AI agents, 79 % say they are still early in defining how to scale and govern them.
- Moreover, 26 % say their organisation can confidently use unstructured data for business value.
- 82 % of CDOs say data is wasted unless it’s accessible to the workforce.
- 74 % actively promote a culture of data stewardship.
- But 47 % now cite attracting, developing and retaining advanced data-skills talent as a top challenge, up from 32 % two years ago.
- Only 53 % say their recruiting/retention efforts are delivering the needed skills, down from 75 % in 2024.
The message is clear: many organisations want AI-driven transformation, but struggle with the underlying data foundations (accessibility, completeness, integrity, consistency).
Also Read: Global AI Investment to Hit $4 Trillion in Five Years, Says Alibaba’s CEO Eddie Wu
[Because the survey spans 27 geographies and 19 industries, the findings are broadly relevant, from financial services and telecoms to healthcare and manufacturing. Across these sectors, data strategy is rising in priority, but readiness remains uneven.]
Read Full Report: https://www.ibm.com/thought-leadership/institute-business-value/en-us/report/2025-cdo
