Professional service firms are being pulled into decisions about AI long before they are given the space, language, or structure to decide intentionally.

AI is not arriving as a single tool or initiative. It is arriving quietly, inside platforms, workflows, drafting processes, research habits, and client expectations. For most firms, it shows up incrementally, not strategically.

As a result, many of the decisions that matter most are not being made explicitly. They are being made by default.

That condition is not a failure of leadership. It is the natural result of rapid technological change intersecting with professional responsibility.

This work exists to address that gap.

What AI Governance Actually Means

AI governance is not about adoption or prohibition.

It is the process of clearly defining how a firm chooses when and how to use AI, or prohibit it, in its work, and ensuring that daily practice remains aligned with that decision over time.

For professional service firms, those decisions must account for:

• leadership preferences and risk tolerance
• industry or regulatory guidance
• contractual and professional liability obligations
• client expectations
• and the realities of how work is actually being done inside the firm

There is no universal “best” policy.

There is only a policy that is congruent with the firm’s responsibilities, values, and business model.

The Problem This Work Solves

The central problem is not whether AI is being used.

The problem is that many firms cannot clearly answer:

• where AI is influencing their work
• how it is being used
• under whose authority
• and with what boundaries

When those answers are unclear, risk accumulates quietly.

This work exists to surface those realities early, while decisions are still available.

My Role in AI Governance

This practice does not prescribe outcomes.

My role is to:

• document how AI is currently intersecting with the firm
• illuminate the full set of choices available
• articulate the costs and tradeoffs of each option
• and support leadership in making informed, deliberate decisions

Responsibility remains with the firm.

Clarity is the contribution.

What Success Looks Like

Successful AI governance does not feel urgent or dramatic.

It feels steady.

Leadership can say, “Yes… this reflects how we operate.”

New tools, guidance, or questions are addressed without confusion or overreaction.

The firm is not attempting to predict the future perfectly.

It is oriented well enough to respond as change unfolds.

The Underlying Principle: Anticipatory Intelligence

At its core, this work is about anticipatory intelligence: the disciplined ability to recognize emerging issues early, understand their implications before they harden into problems, and make decisions while real options still exist.

Managing partners are not expected to predict the future perfectly. They are expected to remain oriented.

My work exists to support that responsibility with clarity, context, and foresight.  

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