US AI Risk & Governance Survey: Closing the Governance Gap
Summary
EY's 2026 US AI Risk & Governance Survey examines the growing gap between formal AI governance policies and their operational implementation. Based on responses from 202 senior AI decision-makers at publicly traded US companies with at least $1 billion in annual revenue, the survey finds that 98% have formal AI governance policies, while 47% report that their organizations have previously bypassed governance processes for urgent deployments. The research also highlights challenges created by agentic AI, including limited governance updates, autonomous activity without real-time human intervention and difficulty detecting unauthorized AI agents. Formal AI assurance reviews are increasingly being used to identify and address these gaps.
Key Insights
- 98% of surveyed senior AI executives report that their organizations have formal AI governance policies in place.
- 47% say their organizations have previously not followed their AI governance process for urgent deployments, highlighting a gap between governance design and operational practice.
- 91% of respondents report that their organizations use agentic AI through either pilots or full enterprise deployment.
- Among organizations using agentic AI, 49% say their existing governance framework has not yet been specifically updated to address agentic AI risks and requirements.
- Among organizations using agentic AI, 85% report that at least some agentic systems execute activities without real-time human intervention, including activities such as running code, placing inventory orders or detecting cybersecurity incidents.
- 26% of respondents whose organizations use agentic AI say they cannot detect unauthorized AI agents operating internally.
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About the Author
Christian Blem Charity
Senior AI Product Leader and ex-Deloitte consultant focused on enterprise AI and automation.
Phil Slorick is an operational architect focused on helping organizations integrate artificial intelligence into core business processes. His expertise includes workflow automation, operational efficiency, enterprise systems, and scalable AI implementation. He writes about practical AI adoption, business operations, digital transformation, and building intelligent organizations.