We’ve seen this story before. Not long ago, the Chief Digital Officer (CDO) was the hottest new role in boardrooms across the world. Organisations rushed to appoint someone who could “own digital” and help them navigate the uncertainties of transformation. Fast forward a few years, and the role has all but disappeared. Why? Because digital became everyone’s job. It moved from being an isolated function to a fully integrated layer of the entire business.
And now, we’re witnessing history repeat itself.
Today, the Chief Data Officer and Chief AI Officer are playing out the same cycle. Right now, they are seen as essential. But in a few years, they shouldn’t be.
At Dootrix, we believe the real success of these roles will be marked not by how long they last, but by how effectively they disappear, because their mission will have been achieved.
AI and Data: Critical Now, Ubiquitous Later
In 2025, businesses are scrambling to establish a coherent AI fuelled business strategy. Many still don’t know where to begin, while others are knee-deep in proofs of concept, data wrangling, or experimental tooling. In this climate, it makes perfect sense to appoint someone to lead the charge. Someone to set the vision, define governance, and drive adoption.
But let's be clear: these roles are scaffolding, not structure. They exist to help organisations transition; to provide focus and leadership while the capability matures and spreads.
The CDO didn't fail when it faded away. It succeeded. The same will be true of the Chief Data Officer and the Chief AI Officer. Their job is not to build fiefdoms or silo their specialisms. Their job is to dissolve their own necessity.
The End Goal: Distribution, Not Centralisation
AI and data are not standalone competencies. They are enablers that must permeate every team, every process, and every product.
Imagine a business in five years’ time where:
- Every department uses AI to optimise its work.
- Every decision is informed by real-time, data-driven insights.
- Every product is born AI-native, not retrofitted with intelligence after the fact.
In that world, asking “Who owns AI?” will make as little sense as asking “Who owns email?” or “Who owns the internet?” AI, like digital before it, will become part of the fabric.
The future of enterprise AI is not about centralised command. It’s about distributed empowerment.
So What’s the Role of Leadership Now?
This is not to suggest we don’t need strong AI leadership today. On the contrary, we need it more than ever. But we need leaders who understand that their job is to prepare the organisation to outgrow them.
That means:
- Building foundational infrastructure, from data pipelines to orchestration platforms.
- Creating policies, principles and ethics that guide safe and effective use.
- Helping every part of the business become fluent in what AI can do and how to use it.
- Encouraging a culture of experimentation, learning, and responsible automation.
Crucially, it means shifting from control to enablement. The best Chief Data Officers and AI leaders aren’t the ones trying to retain ownership, they’re the ones distributing it.
A Short-Term Title, A Long-Term Mission
There is no shame in creating a role that is designed to disappear. Quite the opposite. The best strategic interventions are temporary. They exist to accelerate transformation, not to enshrine ownership.
At Dootrix, we help organisations move from AI-aware to AI-native. That often means working closely with Chief Data Officers and AI leaders. But it also means working to empower product teams, operational leaders, and engineers with the tools and confidence they need to build with intelligence at the core.
The Chief Data Officer may not be around forever, but that’s the point. Their legacy isn’t a department. It’s an organisation where everyone knows how to use data and AI to make better decisions, build better products, and move faster.
That’s the real goal. And the sooner we get there, the better.
