Governance teams are embracing a new mindset.
Legacy governance can’t keep up with AI. Manual, siloed processes break under the speed and scale of AI. How are governance teams adapting?
OneTrust surveyed 1,250 IT decision-makers in privacy, risk, governance, compliance, data, and information security roles across North America and Europe to understand the new reality of governing AI at scale.
AI has fundamentally transformed the day-to-day of governance teams
What once felt like incremental oversight has become an around-the-clock responsibility, as organizations grapple with new models, data uses, and regulatory scrutiny.
37%
more time governance teams are spending managing AI risk
Traditional systems are adding cost, complexity, and delays
Governance teams are already stretched by the volume of reviews, reporting obligations, and cross-functional coordination they manage today.
The rapid rise of AI has only magnified the cracks in these legacy processes.
75%
say AI exposes the limitations of legacy governance processes
73%
say AI has revealed gaps in visibility, collaboration, and policy enforcement
AI risk can’t be ignored
Unchecked bias, data misuse, cybersecurity gaps, and third-party exposure now threaten revenue, reputation, and long-term competitiveness.
82%
call strengthening their team’s capabilities for responsible AI a priority
Responsible AI is driving governance modernization
Governance teams are embracing a new mindset of speed and scale
Teams are shifting their role from gatekeepers to enablers of innovation. Instead of slowing projects with late-stage reviews, they are embedding oversight at the start so AI initiatives can move faster.
82%
say AI risks have accelerated the need to modernize and improve governance
75%
say team goals have shifted significantly to support faster, safer AI adoption
24%
Average budget increase
Investments for modernizing AI governance technology
Investments in modernizing AI governance technology are set to grow, with nearly all organizations (98%) expecting budgets to rise significantly to support faster, smarter oversight.
Organizations with advanced AI adoption expect budget increases nearly 10% higher than those in the experimenting phase.
Download the report to learn:
- How governance teams are shifting their strategies to keep up with AI
- What challenges organizations are facing in driving AI governance at scale
- How leaders view the future of AI governance — and what they need to be successful