Board AI Maturity Grows: Lessons from the Leaders

Boards are getting smarter about AI, says Global Deloitte AI Institute Executive Director Beena Ammanath, shifting their attention from basic literacy to governance structures and accelerating innovation. IT leaders can play a central role, helping board members stay ahead of emerging trends, potential disruptions, and strategic opportunities in AI.

Corporate boards are zeroing in on getting value from AI investments. According to a 2024 Deloitte global survey of board directors and executives, nearly 40% of respondents reported that AI was on the board agenda semiannually or at every meeting while 45% of respondents said AI was not on their board’s agenda at all. But the balance is shifting toward greater and more focused AI involvement among corporate boards, according to Beena Ammanath, executive director of the Global Deloitte AI Institute and author of Trustworthy AI.

Ammanath says she seen a significant increase in AI-focused work among boards in recent months. “The maturity shows in board-level priorities related to AI,” Ammanath says. “Today, it’s about accelerating innovation, using AI to differentiate in the market, and how to extract value from AI.” Deloitte’s Board Practices Quarterly report, issued in April 2025, found that 70% of companies have AI use or deployment policies in place — up from just 13% in 2023 — suggesting a sizable increase in focus and action related to AI governance. There’s an increased urgency in board rooms rooted not in worries of being left behind but recognition of the opportunities AI presents, Ammanath notes.

The Heller Report talked to Ammanath about this shift from building AI literacy to focusing on AI’s value; the aspects of AI that board are concentrating on; what boards are doing to enable effective AI governance; the roles of committees, subcommittees, and AI task forces in accelerating responsible AI adoption; and what CIOs and CTOs can do to help their boards make more informed decisions.

Stephanie Overby: You spend significant time talking to boards. How would you rate their AI literacy at this point?

Beena Ammanath: In my past six months of conversations with board members, many of them have become AI savvy. They want to learn more about what others in the industry are doing; and they’re looking for best practices in areas such as using AI to set their company apart, empowering managers to innovate quickly, staying ahead of emerging risks and regulatory changes that will impact AI, and creating a structure of governance around AI initiatives.

We actually developed an AI Governance Roadmap for boards earlier this year. It provides boards with questions to ask and the role they can play across six areas: strategy, risk, governance, performance, talent, and culture & integrity. For example, board members should experiment with AI models and stay educated on the latest developments in regulation and public policy in order to provide effective oversight and help their management teams connect direction and strategy with actions and outcomes.

Given the rate of change in this space, is it hard for board members to become or stay fluent in AI?

There’s no question the AI space is changing rapidly. However, in board rooms around the world, I’m seeing discussions take a sharp turn to focus on accelerating innovation. Boards are beginning to outgrow the early tasks of building AI literacy and focusing on AI’s potential value.

Just 16% of enterprise respondents were satisfied with the current pace of AI adoption, while 44% said the pace must accelerate, according to Deloitte’s 2024 global board and executive survey. What is the board’s role in increasing the speed or AI-enabled innovation?

In my conversations, boards report that they want to help management teams innovate faster and empower them to move quickly. This urgency isn’t grounded in fear of being left behind. Rather, boards recognize the opportunity to drive business growth by using differentiated AI use cases that support the organization’s strategic goals.

For example, one large tech company developed a GenAI-enabled sales application, designed to improve the accuracy of proposal generation. The solution has made the company’s sales teams more efficient and effective — helping them sign bigger deals and close them more quickly. The company plans to eventually sell those same capabilities as an external product. 

Are there AI governance structures that can help the business innovate quickly and conscientiously?

AI governance is a huge priority for boards, and they are now focusing on specific steps and actions to enable governance. This isn’t purely about risk management; it’s about helping company leaders innovate quickly and responsibly.

Boards need to implement controls to guide the responsible use of AI. Just as they stand up subcommittees for enterprise activities like audits or succession planning, they can establish subcommittees for AI governance. A dedicated group is positioned to remain focused and informed on this complex, fast-changing technology.

Let’s talk committees more specifically. Is more of the AI discussion happening at the committee level? The subcommittee level? The board level?

Our most recent quarterly board practice survey found that responsibility for AI is most often shared across boards, and, for about a quarter of respondents, responsibility lies with the audit committee. A smaller percentage of companies assign responsibility to the risk committee or technology committee. For nearly two-thirds of respondents, AI-related topics make it on the board agenda on an ad-hoc or as-needed basis.

You’ve also talk about the value of an AI task force? What’s that?

An AI task force is a cross-functional team — often including board members, executive management, and technical experts — established to oversee and guide an organization’s strategic use of AI. Its responsibilities typically include setting AI policies, ensuring ethical and regulatory compliance, identifying business opportunities, managing risks, and steering the company’s AI adoption to align with organizational goals and stakeholder interests.

We know it can be challenging to move from AI pilots to wider scale production. Can board members play a role in getting their businesses out of pilot purgatory?

While board members aren’t working directly with AI, they are important stakeholders and play an essential role. The board can take a big picture view of AI programs and guide the organization on the responsible deployment of AI and the most valuable use cases.

When you present to boards on the topic of AI, what is your overarching message to them? And what do they most want to know from you, the AI expert?

We talk a lot about their responsibility as key stakeholders in their organization’s AI journey. There’s a big focus on risk management strategies and actions and activities to enable effective AI governance. In nearly all my discussions, boards really want to know what other companies in their industry are doing with AI and what are the most impactful use cases and best practices that they can learn from and adopt.

When it comes to AI strategies, use cases, and best practices gleaned from industry peers, is this something that leaders in the business (such as the CIO or CTO) can do a better job of sharing with the board?

Business leaders such as CIOs and CTOs can play a crucial role in keeping boards informed about competitor and industry AI strategies by regularly presenting market insights, benchmarking analysis, and implications for their organization. This helps the board to make more informed decisions on AI investments and risk management. Proactive communication from these leaders also helps boards stay ahead of emerging trends, potential disruptions, and strategic opportunities in AI.

It seems like everyone is talking about agentic AI. What would you want boards to understand about the growing experimentation with and adoption of AI agents?

AI agents and multi-agent systems are evolving rapidly ,and it’s important for boards to understand both the transformative potential and the governance and operational risks these agents introduce. Successful adoption of agentic AI requires a balanced approach that encourages innovation while, at the same time, establishes strong oversight, risk management, and alignment with organizational values and strategy.

What else can other companies/boards learn those boards with greater AI maturity?

Boards with greater maturity tend to prioritize continuous learning, encourage cross-functional collaboration, and implement robust governance frameworks to responsibly scale AI across the business. Some key lessons: foster a culture of innovation, proactively manage risks, and ensure responsible oversight. These actions will help accelerate the value created by AI while also protecting stakeholder interests and securing their trust.