Key takeaways:
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- Deliver responsible AI innovation with AI governance that aligns people, processes, and technologies with clear policies and frameworks.
- Lifecycle management and intake processes streamline AI adoption, prioritize use cases, and mitigate risks.
- Awareness, training, and accountability are essential for fostering trust, compliance, and maximizing AI investments.
Cast your mind back to 2019 for a moment. No pandemic, and in IT, cloud computing was the big thing, and everyone was concerned about shadow IT. In many organizations, IT struggled to align with business stakeholders on the varying ways in which business teams were using different public and private cloud services. Eventually, most IT organizations figured out governance for their cloud initiatives, but it was a long and sometimes painful process.
Now AI is the big thing. This time, getting a grip on the varying ways in which business teams are using AI is even more challenging, since there are so many compelling AI use cases across so many business functions. With every software and IT provider busily promoting their AI wares, figuring out the best way to leverage AI for your organization is a large-scale challenge. Applying best practices for governance is the clear answer to this challenge, but with so much AI going on, many organizations struggle to keep pace with constant change.
Enterprise AI governance and why it matters
The rapid growth of AI capabilities presents exciting opportunities and unique challenges for organizations across industries. Successful enterprise AI governance requires a comprehensive approach that integrates people, processes, and technologies. At its core, AI governance provides guidance to internal teams around AI developments, AI data analytics and AI technologies being used. As AI advances, it’s important for companies to establish a framework for setting AI policies, AI data standards and AI procedures.
Key elements of enterprise AI governance
Dell Services has been working with customers to strengthen their governance initiatives for years. Customers are now asking us to help them apply these practices to their AI governance frameworks and how they manage AI cases over time.
A strong AI governance framework requires alignment across the entire organization, including data governance, security and IT. Collaboration and accountability are vital for fostering transparency among stakeholders.
A lifecycle management framework for AI use cases delivers a formal AI intake and request prioritization process for accurate tracking and long-term management.
As a leader in cloud computing, Dell has helped countless customers organize for cloud consumption and management. By addressing roles and responsibilities, cross-functional team coordination, and processes to support new technologies, businesses can be more successful. The same principles and frameworks should be applied to accelerate AI adoption, enable innovation, and manage potential risks.
The role of your AI governance board
The first step towards effective governance involves establishing a governing body that oversees AI practices, aligns strategies, and guides data usage for your organization. The AI Governance Board should cover multiple responsibilities, such as appointing AI roles for authorized decision-making in accordance with organizational preferences, oversight of architectures for AI data management solutions and use case prioritization.
In addition, the board would align with societal values and relevant regulations in their respective countries when making decisions around AI technologies. Beyond regulatory compliance, the board can provide guidance on responsible use standards, normalize data formats, and monitor and evaluate risks to promote innovation.
Here’s some good news: developing an enterprise AI governance model can be as easy as leveraging your existing operating framework and incorporating AI-specific elements to meet new necessities.
How can Dell Services help? Based on our enterprise AI governance experience with customers, Dell AI experts can evaluate current operating models and mature them with formalized AI Governance, helping foster oversight and leadership for informed AI decision-making. With new Dell Services for AI Governance, we help guide an AI governance structure with dedicated roles and a policy framework for periodic reviews and revision cycles.
AI lifecycle management
If you want to better understand your business demands and manage the supply, a formal governance model will help. An AI intake framework with prioritization of submission forms can streamline approvals and discourage excessive AI requests and eliminate those that aren’t aligned with business priorities. End-to-end management, with decommissioning of dated models or toolsets, becomes a routine maintenance task rather than a daily struggle.
We’ve learned from our experience with customers that a formalized intake method will more efficiently prioritize AI programs. Leveraging defined frameworks, we can help improve the evaluation of AI initiatives and enhance stakeholder coordination.
You can also leverage your existing processes to incorporate AI requirements. Well-defined lifecycle phases with gates and exit criteria simplify AI complexities and provide clarity for impacted teams and stakeholders.
AI policies, awareness, and training
If you want to succeed in AI adoption, awareness of the AI capabilities offered to end users is essential, followed by AI campaigns to boost organizational acceptance. Equally important is establishing a framework with specific AI policies and guardrails to support your teams in their day-to-day decisions.
Those who introduce AI technologies into their environment without a plan are likely to encounter unapproved solutions. By investing in AI governance upfront, you can mitigate security and compliance risks that can impact costs and the organization’s reputation in the future.
Don’t forget the ongoing education that should align with the AI technologies being introduced to effectively utilize the AI capabilities and maximize the return on AI investments.
Establishing AI governance is no longer optional for organizations looking to adopt and deploy AI technologies. AI is here to stay, driving innovations in the marketplace and delivering value to consumers. Therefore, it’s critical that organizations’ develop and use AI technologies in a controlled manner, with clear guidelines and accountability to promote confidence in AI adoption and advancements. Reach out to your Dell Technologies representative to learn You can also explore our portfolio of AI services online.
