Artificial intelligence is moving steadily into the tools boards already use. Meeting packs are prepared in digital portals, minutes are drafted in real time and directors review information on tablets rather than in ring binders. As vendors add AI features on top of this infrastructure, board leaders face a simple but important question: how can AI support board management without weakening human judgement and accountability?
Used thoughtfully, AI can make governance work faster, clearer and more informed. Used carelessly, it can create blind spots, overconfidence and new ethical risks. The goal is not to choose between humans and machines. The goal is to design a working model where technology amplifies good decision making while people stay firmly in charge.
AI as a support tool, not a substitute decision maker
In most board environments, AI is already present in subtle ways. Directors see automated dashboards, risk heat maps and polished summaries of complex reports. Large language models and other AI systems can analyse patterns across board documents far more quickly than any individual.
Research on decision making suggests that the organisations which benefit most from AI are those that keep humans in the loop and use AI as an input rather than a final verdict. A recent World Economic Forum article on AI and strategic decisions notes that combining human intuition with AI supported analysis is likely to be a critical competitive factor in the next decade, especially for high impact choices. AI and decision making is becoming a board level issue, not just a technical one.
For board management, this means positioning AI as a powerful assistant. It can transform how information is gathered, filtered and presented. It should not be allowed to decide which risks matter or what strategy to pursue.
Where AI can help the board and the corporate secretary
Practical, low risk use cases are the best way to start. In many organisations, the early gains come from supporting the corporate secretariat and committee chairs.
Examples include:
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Agenda and pack preparation
AI can help draft agendas based on past meetings, annual calendars and regulatory requirements. It can propose a first structure for board packs and suggest which documents should sit under each item. -
Summaries and briefings
Large language models can generate concise summaries of long reports, highlight key figures and flag open questions. Directors still need to read the material, but they can focus on areas that matter most. -
Draft minutes and action lists
AI tools can turn structured notes or audio transcripts into draft minutes, decision logs and action registers. The corporate secretary remains responsible for reviewing every line and confirming that the record is accurate. -
Search and retrieval across board history
Instead of paging through archives, directors can ask natural language questions such as “When did we last discuss cyber insurance” or “What commitments have we made on Scope 3 emissions” and receive references to relevant papers and decisions.
These capabilities reduce administrative friction. They free directors and governance teams to spend more time interpreting information and less time formatting it.
Why human judgement stays at the centre
The attraction of AI in board management is speed and pattern recognition. The danger is that speed can be mistaken for certainty. In reality, AI systems do not understand context, politics or ethics in the way human leaders do.
Professional bodies have been clear on this point. The International Federation of Accountants has stressed that emerging technologies, including AI, must be paired with professional scepticism and ethical judgement rather than treated as a replacement. In a discussion on the changing face of the accountancy profession, IFAC argued that technology can enhance advisory roles only when experts remain responsible for applying their own judgement and code of ethics. Changing face of the profession is a useful reference point for boards as well as auditors.
For directors, this translates into a few simple principles:
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AI must never have the final say on strategic decisions or appointments.
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Responsibility for decisions rests with the board, even when analysis is AI supported.
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Directors should understand the limits of AI tools and ask how outputs were generated.
Guardrails for responsible AI supported board management
To make the most of AI without undermining trust, boards and executives need clear guardrails. These should be practical, not theoretical.
Key elements include:
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Policy and scope
A short, accessible policy that explains where AI is allowed in board work, which tools are approved and what types of data must never be fed into external systems. -
Data protection and confidentiality
Clear rules on how board materials are processed, stored and encrypted when AI features are used. Vendors should confirm that sensitive data is not used to train general models and that prompts and outputs are handled securely. -
Human review requirements
Workflows should ensure that any AI generated text, such as minutes or summaries, is reviewed and approved by a named individual before being treated as final. -
Audit trails and accountability
Board platforms should log who triggered AI actions, which documents were involved and what changes were made. This supports transparency if questions arise later.
Reports from organisations such as ACCA on ethical threats linked to AI emphasise governance, controls and transparency as key safeguards for public trust in financial and governance information. Their AI Monitor paper encourages boards to combine technical understanding with ethical judgement so that automation does not erode accountability. Ethical threats from AI is one example of this guidance.
Practical steps for board leadership teams
Board chairs, committee chairs and corporate secretaries can take a few straightforward steps to integrate AI in a controlled manner:
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Map current and potential uses
List where AI is already used in board processes and where it might add value in the next 12 to 24 months. -
Align with enterprise AI governance
Ensure that board level use of AI fits within the organisation wide AI governance framework, rather than sitting outside it. -
Work with trusted platforms
Use secure board technology that supports AI features in a controlled environment. Specialist board management solutions can centralise documents, policies and AI tools so that directors operate from a single, governed hub. -
Invest in literacy and training
Offer short briefings for directors and governance teams on how AI tools work, what they can and cannot do and how to read AI generated outputs critically. -
Review and refine regularly
Treat AI use in the boardroom as a living topic. Review experiences, near misses and stakeholder feedback at least once a year and adjust policies accordingly.
Keeping judgement and accountability in focus
AI will change how boards access information and manage their work. It will not change the fundamental duties of directors to act with care, loyalty and independent judgement. The most effective boards will be those that embrace useful technology, insist on robust guardrails and constantly remind themselves that AI is a tool serving human decision makers, not a replacement for them.