Enabling Innovation at Scale – with Control, Clarity, Confidence
For CIOs and boards, the discussion around AI quickly converges around a small number of fundamental questions. These questions are increasingly appearing in board meetings, risk committees, and strategy sessions. If you frame your engagement around these, you position yourself directly at the board–CIO interface, which is where AI governance decisions ultimately sit.
Below are the five questions boards are currently asking CIOs about AI.
1. What is our AI strategy?
- Boards want to know whether AI is being approached strategically or opportunistically.
- Typical concerns:
- Are we proactively using AI to improve competitiveness?
- Which parts of the business will be transformed by AI?
- Are competitors moving faster than we are?
- What is our roadmap?
- The real issue is: Is AI a series of experiments, or a defined strategic capability?
2. Where are we already using AI?
- Many boards are surprised to discover how widely AI is already being used in their organisations.
- Typical areas include:
- marketing automation
- fraud detection
- credit scoring
- customer service chatbots
- predictive analytics
- employee productivity tools
- The board concern: Do we have visibility of all AI systems currently operating inside the organisation?
3. What risks does AI introduce?
- Boards increasingly understand that AI introduces new categories of risk.
- Examples:
- algorithmic bias
- incorrect automated decisions
- regulatory breaches
- intellectual property violations
- misinformation generated by AI systems
- reputational damage
- The board question becomes: What controls are in place to manage AI risks?
4. Who is accountable for AI decisions?
- Traditional governance assumes humans make decisions. AI challenges this assumption.
- Boards want clarity on:
- who is responsible if an AI system makes an incorrect decision
- how automated decisions are supervised
- whether humans remain accountable
- The fundamental governance question: Where does human accountability sit in an AI-driven organisation?
5. Do we have the right governance in place?
- Most boards realise that AI requires a new governance framework.
- They are concerned about:
- oversight structures
- ethical principles
- regulatory preparedness
- transparency
- internal controls
- The key issue: How do we govern AI without slowing down innovation?
Why Maxit Advisory?
Paul Aucamp. M Comm (PU, South Africa) cum laude, MBA (Vlerick Business School, Belgium) cum laude, EDP (Insead, Fontainebleau, France). He has also attended several executive development programmes at Insead (France) and IMD (Switzerland).
Paul is the Managing Director and founder of both Paul Aucamp Strategic Advisors (Pty) Ltd and Maxit Advisory (Pty) Ltd. He has been in strategy and information technology consulting since 1987, and has previously fulfilled leadership positions at Deloitte, IBM Consulting Group (with responsibilities for Africa and Middle East) and Bentley West Management Consultants. Paul has listed an IT company on the JSE and is a trusted advisor to several Boards and CEOs.
During his 35-year career, Mr Aucamp has undertaken many Client strategy engagements in South & Southern Africa, Middle East, US and Europe. He has also acted as Board & CIO IT Advisor to Liberty Life, Discovery Bank, Old Mutual, Sanlam, African Bank, Santam, CBZ Bank (Zimbabwe), ABSA, Sasol, Arcelor Mittal, Kumba Resources, EXXARO, Afgri, and others.
And then you can ‘short circuit’ the search process by contacting Maxit Advisory – a specialist advisory firm. Even faster, call Maxit’s Managing Partner, Paul Aucamp, and set up a meeting.
- Mobile number = +27 (0)82 570 4678
- Email address = paul@maxit.co.za
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