Agency data leads worry about staff capacity to tackle statutory requirements, survey finds

"Among the 189 CDO and other data leader respondents to the annual survey conducted by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Data Foundation, about 40% said they had lost six or more employees last year."

"Capacity is a 'sleeper risk' that needs to be monitored, said Nick Hart, the president and CEO of the Data Foundation, 'because if you get below a certain threshold or unexpectedly lose too much capacity, it's hard to replace that quickly.'"

"AI integration is increasingly becoming part of CDO's jobs within the government, the Data Foundation found. The CDO Council included promoting AI-ready data, connecting government data to AI and workforce readiness among the fiscal 2026 goals posted on its website."

"Implementation of the OPEN Government Data Act is forging ahead too, with key deadlines coming this fall that are intended to make data.gov a better resource for open data with common metadata across the government."

Agency chief data officers are increasingly tasked with preparing government data for artificial intelligence programs, but many have lost essential staff. A survey revealed that about 40% of respondents lost six or more employees last year, with nearly 60% currently having five or fewer staff members. Leadership positions are often vacant due to layoffs and resignations. Despite these challenges, the role of CDO is evolving, with a focus on AI integration and the implementation of the OPEN Government Data Act to enhance open data resources.

Read at Nextgov.com