📌 What’s Covered
This is Deloitte’s second global pulse survey on how boards of directors are approaching AI governance. The data is drawn from 695 board and C-suite executives in 56 countries, covering both public and private firms of varying sizes. The report centers on five key themes:
1. AI on the Agenda — but Still Lagging
- 31% of boards still don’t include AI in their agenda (down from 45%).
- Only 17% address AI at every meeting.
- One-third of respondents feel their boards are not spending enough time on the topic.
2. AI Knowledge Remains Low
- 66% of boards report limited or no AI expertise.
- While 59% of board members are seeking to self-educate, only 48% of boards offer formal AI training.
- 10% are recruiting AI-savvy directors, but this is still rare.
3. Acceleration Needed
- 53% of respondents say their organizations must speed up AI adoption.
- Just 5% report that AI is fully integrated into operating plans.
- 31% say their organizations are still not ready to deploy AI at all.
4. Cross-Functional Engagement
- Boards mainly engage with CIOs (72%) and CEOs (52%) on AI.
- Engagement with CFOs, CROs, and CISOs is growing but remains limited.
- Deloitte calls for more consistent, enterprise-wide communication and cross-functional integration.
5. Strategic Oversight Questions for Boards
The report introduces a practical checklist for directors covering:
- Organizational AI maturity
- Strategy alignment
- Risk appetite and monitoring
- Governance structure and committee design
- AI talent and board fluency
- Performance metrics and accountability
💡 Why it matters?
AI governance is no longer optional for boards—it’s a fiduciary imperative. As organizations face growing regulatory pressure and societal expectations, boards need to be fluent in AI risks and opportunities. Deloitte’s report provides a wake-up call: many boards are behind the curve, and leadership without technical understanding won’t cut it. This report is especially useful for prompting board-level reflection, supporting strategic realignment, and embedding AI into enterprise risk management.
🔎 What’s Missing
- Depth on regulatory alignment: While risk is acknowledged, there’s minimal discussion of how boards can align oversight with frameworks like the EU AI Act or ISO 42001.
- Sector-specific insights: Aggregated responses are insightful, but board needs in finance vs. health vs. manufacturing differ significantly—more tailored takeaways would help.
- Real boardroom case studies: The report relies heavily on survey statistics. Embedding real-world governance dilemmas or anonymized case studies could make the findings more actionable.
🏷️ Best For
- Corporate board members and chairs seeking to add AI to the agenda.
- Chief Risk Officers and Chief Governance Officers looking to prepare their boards.
- Policymakers who need to understand the readiness gap at the board level.
- Professional training bodies developing AI fluency programs for leadership.
🧾 Source Details
- Title: Governance of AI: A Critical Imperative for Today’s Boards (2nd Edition)
- Authors: Anna Marks (Chair, Deloitte Global Board), Lara Abrash (Chair, Deloitte US), Prof. Dr. Arno Probst
- Publisher: Deloitte Global Boardroom Program
- Date: February 2025
