WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, March 24, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Federal Chief Data Officers (CDOs) are successfully navigating organizational transitions and increasing adoption of artificial intelligence, according to a new joint survey by the Data Foundation, in collaboration with Deloitte.
“Federal CDOs entered 2025 facing several unknowns, yet their agencies still made impressive strides toward mission achievement,” said Dr. Adita Karkera, Chief Data Officer for Deloitte’s Government and Public Services practice. “This survey reveals the mounting pressures on data leadership, but also that CDOs are committed to providing the right data foundations and datasets to enable successful AI use and drive operational efficiencies.”
A common theme throughout the survey was the expanding intersection of data and artificial intelligence responsibilities, with one CDO noting the role has become “more critical with the introduction of AI.” This, in addition to the release of the Office of Management and Budget’s long-awaited implementation guidance for Title II of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act (the OPEN Government Data Act), contributed to a year of significant change for CDOs.
“The CDO role in government agencies is clearly at an inflection point,” said Dr. Amanda Cash, Senior Director for the Data Foundation’s Center for Data Policy. “As AI adoption accelerates across federal agencies, data leadership has become more essential than ever. Our survey shows that CDOs are proactively shaping this new landscape by establishing the governance frameworks that will determine whether AI delivers on its promise.”
Navigating Transition and Change: 2025 Survey of Federal Chief Data Officers, provides perspectives about how the CDO community adapted during a year of transition. The Data Foundation’s annual survey captures the state of federal data leadership and identifies important needs to strengthen the government’s capacity to leverage data amid rapid technological change and organizational transition.
Key insights from the 2025 CDO Survey include:
AI integration has become central to the CDO mission. AI use across federal organizations increased from 67% in 2024 to 78% in 2025, reflecting heightened federal prioritization of AI. In 2025, 30% of CDOs also serve as Chief AI Officers (CAIOs) and nearly all CDOs (96%) collaborate with AI leadership at least monthly, with 70% collaborating weekly. This close collaboration, combined with 64% of CDOs being “very” or “completely” involved in setting data governance policies for AI use, reflects both federal prioritization of AI and CDOs’ central role in ensuring responsible implementation through data governance. However, as CDO, CIO, and CAIO responsibilities increasingly overlap, CDOs call for clearer guidance on authorities.
Critical challenges and needs have become more evenly distributed across multiple areas. While financial and budgetary resources remain the top need for advancing CDO missions, the proportion of CDOs citing this constraint dropped from 88% in 2024 to 67% in 2025. This decline suggests that challenges are becoming more evenly distributed across multiple areas, including data infrastructure, rather than being dominated by a single constraint. CDOs cited capacity constraints as their second most critical concern impacting their mission and ability to meet statutory requirements, including OPEN Government Data Act implementation. Nearly half (48%) of CDOs report they are now operating with five or fewer FTEs, up from 36% in 2024.
The Federal CDO Council grew in value. The 2025 survey reveals the Council’s increasing importance to the CDO community. More than half (56%) of CDOs found the Council’s resources “very” or “completely” helpful, up from 47% in 2024 and 19% in 2023. CDOs particularly value the Council’s knowledge-sharing function, with 30% specifically highlighting opportunities to learn from other CDOs’ experiences.
External stakeholder engagement has declined. The 2025 survey reveals decreased engagement with the private sector (from 72% in 2024 to 57% in 2025 reporting at least monthly collaboration) and the general public (from 40% in 2024 to 28% in 2025). This decline in external stakeholder engagement contrasts with high levels of internal collaboration, particularly with AI leadership (96% collaborate at least monthly in 2025). The reduction in external engagement may reflect strategic prioritization of internal organizational needs given capacity constraints, but it raises concerns about CDOs’ ability to fulfill statutory requirements for open data and public engagement. This also raises concerns about the government’s ability to maintain knowledge about the rapidly changing technological capabilities of the private sector and capabilities the government may need to adopt in coming years.
The recommendations and report on the 2025 Federal CDO Survey are available on the Data Foundation and Deloitte websites. Reports from prior years are available here. The Data Foundation and Deloitte held a virtual event to discuss the survey results and their implications on March 24 at 1:00 p.m. ET.
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About the Data Foundation: The Data Foundation is a national non-profit organization that champions the use of open data and evidence-informed public policy to make society better for everyone. We are the trusted authority on the use of open, accessible data to fuel a more efficient, effective, and accountable government; spark innovation; and provide insights to the country’s most pressing challenges. As a nonpartisan think tank, we conduct research, collaborative thought leadership, and advocacy programs that advance practical policies for the creation and use of accessible, trustworthy data.
Federal CDO Survey Methods:
The findings presented in this report reflect results from the Data Foundation’s sixth survey of Federal Chief Data Officers, which collected data from federal department-, agency-, and bureau-level CDOs and Statistical Officials across the federal government. Participants were invited by email to complete a web-based survey in September and December 2025, with multiple rounds of non-response follow-up.
As used in this document, “Deloitte” means Deloitte Consulting LLP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of our legal structure. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.
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