Leading with the concept of the agentic enterprise, Governance Intelligence’s latest briefing highlighted a fundamental shift in how organizations must approach governance, strategy and operations in the age of AI.
During the session titledBringing in AI: global perspectives of AI oversight, which was held in partnership withNasdaq,panelists emphasized that this transition is not incremental but structural, requiring boards and executives to rethink long-standing models.
Steven Wolfe Pereira, CEO and founder of Alpha, framed the discussion by pointing to a widening gap between traditional governance and emerging realities. ‘We are at a really interesting inflection point, because we’ve been operating with a traditional corporate governance structure for ever, and we are now at a point where we have to realize that the noses-in, fingers-out model is just not ready for the AI world,’ he said.
Pereira also argued that the rise of agentic systems will fundamentally alter enterprise design, adding that ‘every single workflow inside of an enterprise becomes agentic and every single function inside of a board will become agentic.’
This shift is already creating tension between ambition and execution. James Harley, principal product manager and head of product innovation at Nasdaq, noted that while organizations are experimenting with AI, large-scale transformation remains limited. ‘We see lots of organizations doing lots of things around mini pilots, but what we’re not seeing is that enterprise scale rethink,’ he said. Instead, many companies are layering AI onto existing processes without redesigning them, which limits impact.
Victor Skorobogatov, senior legal counsel at VEON, reinforced the importance of execution over theory. ‘There is a strategy and there is implementation, and obviously you can have a brilliant strategy, but if there is zero implementation, then the strategy will be just in vain,’ he noted. Skorobogatov also described how VEON has taken a practical approach by identifying high-impact tasks and automating them step by step, particularly within legal and governance functions.
A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the speed of technological change and the challenge it presents to boards. Harley highlighted that many boards are still not engaging with AI at a strategic level: Nasdaq data shows that only one in five governance professionals are not talking around AI in the boardroom.
Top, left-to-right Natalie Bannerman, senior reporter at Governance Intelligence; and Steven Wolfe Pereira, CEO and founder of Alpha Bottom, left-to-right:James Harley, principal product manager and head of product innovation at Nasdaq; andVictor Skorobogatov, senior legal counsel at VEON
Pereira stressed that the pace of advancement is often underestimated. ‘I don’t think people realize that we are on this exponential curve,’ he said, pointing to rapid improvements in AI capabilities and the emergence of agentic systems that can operate autonomously for extended periods. He warned that many boardroom discussions remain backward-looking and disconnected from where the technology is heading.
From a governance perspective, Skorobogatov outlined key risks that organizations must address, including shadow AI and data access. He emphasized the importance of maintaining oversight while scaling adoption. ‘It is very important that a human remains in the loop, that the team members are accountable and responsible for the outputs of AI agents,’ he said, also noting that organizations must continue training their systems so they can eventually operate with greater autonomy.
The panel also explored how boards can measure success. Harley suggested focusing on three areas: financial impact, adoption and risk. ‘Being able to track risk and resilience and looking for things like errors, drift or regulatory exposure’ is critical to ensuring AI systems deliver value without introducing new vulnerabilities, he explained. Skorobogatov added that efficiency gains must be real: ‘If your team members spend a lot of time checking the outputs of your AI tools, then you don’t need the tool.’
On the question of board composition, there was clear agreement that AI literacy must be shared rather than concentrated. Pereira cautioned against relying on a single expert, arguing that all directors must understand the technology to fulfill their responsibilities. This aligns with the broader shift toward embedding AI awareness across the organization.
Looking ahead, the panelists converged on the need for immediate action. Pereira pointed to a critical blind spot for many organizations. ‘What is the amount of non-human traffic that is coming to your business?’ he asked, highlighting the rise of the agentic web and the need to prepare for interactions driven by AI rather than humans.
Skorobogatov called for ownership and accountability, urging companies to move quickly from planning to execution. ‘Start building, name one person in your organization who owns AI adoption, not strategy but actual adoption,’ he suggested.
Harley concluded with a clear warning about inertia: ‘The biggest risk is doing nothing right now.’
To watch the full briefing ‘Bringing in AI: global perspectives of AI oversight’ on demand,click here