The CDO reality on driving AI forward with better data and governance

As your organization accelerates its generative AI (GenAI) efforts, CDOs play a central role in guiding these programs toward reliable outcomes. Many leaders are advancing early initiatives, yet the transition from pilot to full production remains uneven. In fact, more than half of data leaders report that GenAI progress slows when foundational data issues surface.

Data leaders also must navigate new pressures as artificial intelligence (AI) spreads across your workforce. Responsible use, greater visibility into how employees adopt these tools and the maturity of your data strategy all influence how quickly GenAI can deliver results. These demands require a delicate balance of innovation with stronger structure and clearer expectations for governance.

Our comprehensive report, sponsored by Deloitte and based on a survey of 600 data leaders, details the realities CDOs face as they scale GenAI and shape enterprise data strategy.

Highlights and key takeaways include:

• 50% of agentic AI adopters cite data quality and retrieval issues as deployment barriers
• 65% say employees trust AI outputs even when data gaps remain
• 76% report that governance has not kept pace with rising AI use across the business
• 86% plan to increase investment in data management to support AI growth