My guiding principle, “if you question the ethics, do NOT proceed.” When decisions are connected to facts and gut feel, they are less likely to serve our pre-determined desires. We avoid the familiar phenomenon of backing into decisions. In the early days of GenAI, the temptation is strong. Boards and organizations often have a deep sense of FOMO and leap in without integrating GenAI into the existing governance framework.
My AI governance reflections & thought starters:
- Start with the end in mind- the WHY: vision, mission & strategy
- Principles guide policy
- Stakeholder considerations include shareholder return
- AI’s power, significance & complexity
- AI use cases to unlock leapfrog potential value
- AI can’t overcome a stagnant business model, can’t cost-cut your way to growth
- AI initiatives often focus on becoming cheaper, faster caterpillars vs butterflies
- Historical bias is a feature of AI
- Privacy, security & transparency are northstars
- Human capital displacement is an accelerating socio-economic threat
- High tech complemented by high-touch experience is the magic
- Human capital remains a growth & value creation engine
- AI is never lost for an answer; it will hallucinate & make errors; it lacks human discernment, wisdom, experience, and insight
Boards must be resolute in shifting their role to greater foresight with emphasis on the intolerable labor of thought. Deep dialogue will reveal that the questions and considerations are many while the answers are few, expressed in an integrated governance framework of principles & policy.