Insights
Research, perspectives,
and original analysis
Long-form thinking on AI governance, compliance, and building trust in the AI economy. Original research from the Return on AI Pulse, commentary from our practitioners, and analysis of the conversations shaping the industry.
We Asked. Nobody Knows Who Owns AI Governance.
We surveyed about 70 organizations. When we asked who owns AI governance, the most common answer amounted to nobody, specifically. It's like a farmhouse where everybody assumes somebody else is locking the back door at night.
The AI Governance Gap Starts with What You Already Have
Most organizations think AI governance is a net-new problem. That instinct makes sense. It also happens to be wrong. The gap doesn't start with what you don't have. It starts with what you already have and haven't governed yet.
The Federal Government Wants More AI in Healthcare, but Not the Liability
The federal government is pushing AI adoption harder than any lobbyist ever could, while the regulations defining liability haven't moved an inch. Providers are caught in the middle. The ask is adopt. The liability framework says you're liable.
Data Governance Is Not AI Governance
A lot of companies looked at their existing data governance program, looked at the AI governance problem, and decided they were close enough. That's like getting your oil changed and calling it an engine rebuild.
Hertz Had a Good Idea. They Just Forgot the Governance.
A customer returned a rental car and got an automated bill for $440. No human looked at the car. No human reviewed the charge. The AI worked exactly as designed. The problem is that nobody asked the uncomfortable questions before turning it on.
Taco Bell Digests McDonald's AI Lesson
Someone ordered 18,000 cups of water through a Taco Bell drive-thru speaker. McDonald's ended its IBM AI partnership after four years of viral fails. The lesson isn't that drive-thru AI is a bad idea. It's that deploying AI into your core value zone without human gates is a recipe for social media fame.
John Henry and the Case for Working Beside the Machine
John Henry proved that a human could outperform a machine in a single contest. But he could only do it once. The real question is what would have happened if John Henry had worked beside the machine instead of against it.
Three Revolutions
My grandmother was born in 1900. She lived to see horse-drawn carriages give way to automobiles. I have had the fortune of living through three digital revolutions. Each one followed the same pattern, and I missed the obvious implications each time.
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