As first published in Dataversity
Chief data officers (CDOs) are at the forefront of data modernization and AI adoption. In 2025, the leaders who successfully embrace innovative technologies, such as data fabric and generative AI (GenAI), will shape the future of their industries. By focusing on collaboration, governance, and scalability, data leaders can address evolving challenges and seize new opportunities.
In the coming year, expect to see three areas that will impact data leaders:
Roles Blur in the Data World, But the Data Hero Will Rise
The traditional divisions between data engineers, analysts, and scientists are breaking down, as modern data teams must increasingly handle end-to-end workflows with speed and autonomy. By 2025, a new role will emerge – the “data hero.” These versatile individuals will combine a solid level of technical skills with deep domain knowledge, enabling them to work seamlessly across data discovery, assembly, and product creation. Acting as the critical bridge between data and business, data heroes will drive greater alignment, faster insights, and more impactful decision-making in the coming year. However, to support this evolution, a new generation of data tools must emerge, tailored specifically to the needs of the data hero persona. Unlike legacy tools that cater to separate, disjointed roles, these modern platforms will unify capabilities and streamline cross-functional collaboration, empowering data heroes to unlock the true value of data in a rapidly changing landscape.
Partnerships Between CDOs and Chief AI Officers Will Bloom – or Bust
The evolving relationship between CDOs and chief AI officers (CAIOs) will either thrive or falter based on their ability to align goals, integrate AI-driven initiatives, and drive measurable outcomes. Successful partnerships will become imperative, yielding powerful synergies, and combining data strategy with AI innovation to accelerate transformation and competitive advantage. However, misaligned priorities, siloed data practices, or lack of clear collaboration models could lead to missed opportunities and stagnation. Watch for data-driven organizations to experiment and refine these partnerships, as their success or failure will provide critical insights into the future of AI and data leadership.
(For all CDOs and analytics leaders looking to stay ahead of the curve, I recommend tuning into the expert panel we recently hosted on "Winning Strategies for CDOs in the Age of AI" with industry experts Randy Bean, Sanjeev Mohan, and Jason Foster).
CDOs Who Accelerate Modernization With Data Fabric and GenAI Will Lead the Industry
CDOs who successfully harness data fabric architectures and generative AI capabilities will set themselves apart as industry leaders. By blending scalable, interconnected data infrastructures with the transformative potential of GenAI, these CDOs can accelerate data modernization, empower self-service, and drive more agile decision-making across their organizations.
(Check out a complimentary Gartner report about how to get your data 'AI-ready' here)
As CDOs and data leaders strive to harness the transformative power of generative AI, implementing a data fabric will emerge as the solution of choice to manage and leverage vast amounts of data effectively. In the coming year, organizations across industries will realize the value of a turnkey data fabric that will enable them to implement their data mesh and data product initiatives while delivering business value faster. This will emphasize the critical role that data products play in delivering rapid analytics and enabling generative AI.