What GCs Should Consider For US AI Deployment In 2026

For many organizations, the question is no longer whether to adopt an AI governance program. Most organizations already have one (or at least the beginnings of one) in the form of AI use policies, intake processes, vendor diligence questionnaires, data-use restrictions, employee training and legal review procedures. But the AI landscape is moving faster than many of those programs were designed to handle.

In 2026, AI governance is becoming less about whether and how employees may use generative AI tools, and more about how organizations manage AI that is embedded across the enterprise: in software as a service (SaaS) platforms, customer-facing products, developer tools, HR systems, cybersecurity workflows, marketing stacks, productivity suites and increasingly autonomous AI agents. The result is that many organizations’ original AI policies and procedures, which are often focused on employee prompting, confidential information and public chatbot use, need to be updated for a more