The Board’s New Question: How …. Innovation? – Special Article

The Board’s New Question: How Do We Govern AI Without Slowing Innovation?

In boardrooms across the globe, I regularly hear an emergent question. It seems as if the answer to the question – does artificial intelligence really matter? – is more rudimentary than ever, due to the increasing number of people embracing AI every day. The more pertinent query, at least for me, is: How can we ensure that we do not unintentionally impede the level of innovation that we hope to unlock with AI?

On the surface, this may appear to be an easy question to answer, however, once you find yourself sitting in a room and measuring the potential trades of consequence, it quickly becomes impossible to find a singular answer.

Governance Isn’t the Enemy, But It Can Feel Like It

By design, boards are cautious and prudent with their words and actions; they should be. The board’s native language is risk. However, artificial intelligence does not behave like a legacy system fundamentally built upon historically-defined governance principles, and because of this, many forms of governance will likely experience difficulties regulating AI for many months or years to come.