The evolution of the role of the Chief Data Officer at the heart of the evolution of AI

Generative AI has disrupted every responsibilities in the tech world and is having a major impact on the evolving role of chief data officers. While early chief data officers only focused on areas like data quality, they are now embracing AI.

Some might aspire to a world where a single leader is responsible for data analytics, AI, and business transformation. But some organizations may have a chief data officer, another chief AI officer, and a CIO, who don’t always work well together, depending on the situation.go to Mario Faria (pictured), professor in the Chief Data and AI Officer program at Carnegie Mellon University.

Mario Faria of Carnegie Mellon University discusses the evolving role of the data manager.

“What we try to teach in our program is… what the role should be, what the key responsibilities should be, how leaders should develop a plan that drives companies to achieve their mission of reducing costs or making more money or improving productivity and, most importantly, taking a less risky approach to AI,” he said.

Faria spoke to CUBE Research Dave Vellante And Sanjeev Mohan At CDOIQ Conferenceduring an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s live streaming studio. They discussed the evolving role of the Chief Data Officer and the integration of AI into data strategies.

The evolution of the Chief Data Officer role must balance technical skills and culture

In this new world, it is not yet clear whether an AI leader must also be a technical leader. Being a technical person is helpful, but it is not mandatory, according to Faria.

“The best CIOs and CIOs I’ve ever met in my life didn’t have a technical background. They were able to understand,” he said. “They were able to build an organization with the skills that would enable the business to achieve its results.”

Culture is a critical topic to keep in mind. It’s important to seriously consider the positive, negative and ugly aspects of building a data culture, Faria added.

“You can’t create a data culture if you don’t understand where your company’s culture is right now. Are leaders ready for change? Do you need to implement a major program?” Faria asked. “What role will change management play in this transformation?”

If things are not managed properly, change can backfire because businesses are dealing with human beings. Even those at the top of the ladder are not guaranteed to succeed, Faria said.

“Even if a CEO tries to pressure others sometimes, he may not be successful, because a lot of it is intrinsic to the company, a lot of old behaviors,” he said. “I like to say that culture is what you do when the doors are closed and the lights are out.”

There are also a number of philosophies nowadays Should a company have a chief AI officer or not?It depends, according to Faria.

“Are they already using the right data, have good processes, good governance? Are they exploring analytics at scale?” he asked. “If so, maybe they’re ready to take the leap and put someone in charge of AI. Maybe they’re not doing the basics, so they should do a lot of the groundwork, the foundations that will allow them to explore AI more deeply.”

Here’s the full video interview, part of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE Research’s coverage of CDOIQ Conference:

Photo: SiliconANGLE