How do you present AI to the board?

Give the board one page with five things: where AI runs, what it costs, whether it is working, who owns it in each function, and the three actions that come next. Add one more line: the gap between your view and your function heads'. The AICD's 2026 guide tells directors to ask whether their reporting on AI use is timely, covers the whole organisation and is kept up to date.

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What are directors told to ask?

Source
The question for the board
Date
AICD, A Director's Guide to AI Governance (v2)
Whether reporting on AI use across the organisation is timely, comprehensive and periodically updated
June 2026
ASIC, REP 798
Whether governance arrangements are leading or lagging the use of AI
October 2024
APRA, letter to industry on AI
That boards of APRA-regulated entities oversee an AI strategy supported by effective monitoring and reporting
April 2026
Institute of Directors (UK)
Whether the audit committee, or its equivalent, has oversight of AI systems
June 2025

What goes on the page?

Line
What to show
Where the number comes from
Where it runs
Share of workflows with an AI or automation component, by function
Each function head
What it costs
Annual spend on AI and automation, by function
Finance, checked against each function
Whether it works
Which functions measure and report the outcome
Each function head
Who owns it
One named owner per function
The CEO
The gap
Where the CEO's view and the function heads' differ
Both, read separately
What happens next
Three actions, each with an owner and a date
The CEO

Why does it matter who writes the page?

Management writes the board pack. The Automation Report states the gap between the picture the company drew of itself and what its functions run. The company does not write the report, and cannot edit it once issued.

The gap, per dimension
Issuer kn0w
Report 000142
Issued 2026-05-23
Version v2.1
Measure
Where the gap concentrates
Workflows
Operations and Customer Success
Tools
Aligned across all functions
Skills
Compliance & Risk; Finance
Oversight
Across all regulated deployments
Spend
Uncategorised function-budget spend
Outcomes
Outside fraud detection regime

What does the board receive with the Automation Report?

The Board Summary at the front of the report states the kn0w Score and band, the weakest reading, the widest gap, recoverable annual productivity, the three required actions and the reliance terms. The board pack is the board's copy, drawn from the issued report. The company's board is entitled to rely on the report.

Board Pack 000142 is a published example of what the board receives. The company and its readings are fictional.

Board Summary
Issuer kn0w
Report 000142
Issued 2026-05-23
Version v2.1

kn0w Score

51

Systematic

Weakest reading

34

Oversight

Widest gap

−18

Oversight

Recoverable each year, at least

A$747,000

What must happen · 90 days

  1. 1 · Day 30

    Merchant onboarding KYC automation · Head of Operations

  2. 2 · Day 60

    Internal product-analytics LLM · Head of Risk

  3. 3 · Day 90

    Skills in Compliance & Risk and Finance · Head of Risk

Frequently asked questions

How often should AI be reported to the board?
On a set cycle the board agrees with management. The AICD guide asks whether reporting on AI use is periodically updated. The Automation Report issues once a year, with Quarterly Reviews at months 3, 6 and 9.
Who should present AI to the board?
The CEO, with each function head owning the reading for their function.
What should an AI board report include?
Where AI runs, what it costs, whether it works, who owns it, the gap between the CEO's view and the function heads', and what happens next.
Should the audit committee oversee AI?
The UK Institute of Directors asks boards whether the audit committee, or its equivalent, has oversight of AI systems. Which committee holds it is the board's decision.
Can the board rely on the Automation Report?
Yes. The company's board is entitled to rely on the report. The lead institutional investor in the next priced round may also rely on it, where that investor meets the minimum investment stated in the report.

Published by kn0w, 4 October 2026.

Sources