Why Your Company Needs a Chief Data, Analytics, and AI Officer

Our favorite question from customers: where should CAIO be placed (in the org chart)? Our standard answer: nowhere.

Your company does NOT need a Chief AI Officer. Just as little as it needed a CDO: Chief Data Officer.

You can’t separate the two: data and analytics/AI.

Without data, analytics/AI are useless.
Without analytics/AI, data is worthless.

If you want to hire a dedicated chief officer, then please hire a CDAIO:

“Our view is that a combined role—what we call the CDAIO (Chief Data, Analytics, and AI Officer)—will best prepare organizations as they plan for AI going forward.”

Their responsibilities:

✔️ Owning the AI strategy.

✔️ Preparing for a new class of risks.

✔️ Developing the AI technology stack for the company.

✔️ Ensuring the company’s data is ready for AI.

✔️ Creating an AI-ready culture.

✔️ Generating significant ROI for the company.

Thanks to Vipin Gopal, Thomas H. Davenport, and Randy Bean for the shoutout:

👉 https://hbr.org/2025/12/why-your-company-needs-a-chief-data-analytics-and-ai-officer