CDO roadmap: Is your data AI-ready?

Prepare your data for success

Data is critical in propelling success in today’s AI-driven market. This report offers critical insights to help CDOs leverage their data.

Chief data officers (CDOs) who can effectively leverage the full value of their data are poised to align initiatives with core business objectives and drive meaningful outcomes that elevate organizational performance.

Here, we highlight three key recommendations from EY research findings that offer strategic guidance for CDOs seeking to unleash the power of data:

1. Does data have a soul?

Leaders have pointed out that the lack of talent inhibits their ability to successfully deploy artificial intelligence (AI). In an era when talk about agentic AI is all the rage, this demonstrates that humans are still at the center. Accordingly, 60% of organizations are seeking to address the talent gap by investing in upskilling programs, while 44% have created dedicated ethics committees to manage the ethical risks associated with AI deployment.

2. Align data initiatives with business objectives:

More than half of data leaders (53%) say that aligning data initiatives with overarching business goals and operational needs is a critical step for organizations seeking to improve responsiveness to market demands and foster a data-driven culture.

3. Data governance and quality issues:

While 61% of organizations are establishing robust data governance processes, challenges such as poor data quality (reported by 31%) and data silos (reported by 39%) continue to hinder the effective integration of data across departments.