AI Governance Framework - Public Overview

Overview

Every organization using AI faces the same challenge: how do you capture AI's benefits while managing its risks? The answer is AI governance—the system of policies, processes, and controls that ensures your AI use is ethical, legal, secure, accountable, and transparent.

This free overview introduces AI governance fundamentals for executives and AI leaders. It explains why governance matters, what it includes, and how to think about building a governance program. Whether you're starting from scratch or evaluating your current approach, this resource provides the conceptual foundation you need.

What's Inside

• The Case for AI Governance: Why organizations can no longer treat AI governance as optional—regulatory penalties, reputational damage, security breaches, and resource waste that result from ungoverned AI
• What AI Governance Means: Clear definition of AI governance as the system ensuring AI use is ethical, legal, secure, accountable, and transparent
• The 5 Pillars Framework: Introduction to the five essential components of AI governance—Strategy & Leadership, Risk Management, Compliance, Ethics, and Operations
• Key Questions for Each Pillar: Self-assessment questions to evaluate your organization's current governance posture
• Getting Started Guidance: Practical first steps for organizations beginning their AI governance journey

Who This Is For

• Executives evaluating AI governance needs for their organization
• Board Members understanding their oversight responsibilities for AI
• AI/Technology Leaders building the case for governance investment
• Compliance Officers assessing AI governance requirements
• Anyone seeking an introduction to AI governance fundamentals

Why This Resource

Many AI governance resources assume you already understand the basics. This overview starts from first principles—explaining what AI governance is, why it matters, and how to think about it before diving into implementation details.

It's designed as a conversation starter: share it with executives who need to understand AI governance, board members asking about AI oversight, or colleagues who wonder why governance matters for AI specifically.

FAQ

Q: Is this resource enough to implement AI governance?

A: This overview provides conceptual foundation, not implementation details. For complete implementation guidance including templates, policies, and procedures, see our premium AI Governance Framework.

Q: What are the 5 pillars of AI governance?

A: Strategy & Leadership (vision, executive accountability), Risk Management (identifying and mitigating AI risks), Compliance (regulatory requirements), Ethics (fairness, transparency, accountability), and Operations (practical processes and controls).

Q: How is AI governance different from data governance or IT governance?

A: AI governance extends existing governance frameworks to address AI-specific risks: algorithmic bias, model reliability, explainability requirements, and the unique security threats AI systems face. It builds on data and IT governance but adds AI-specific dimensions.