{"id":194595,"date":"2025-08-12T08:21:52","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T08:21:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harnham.com\/?p=194595"},"modified":"2025-08-13T11:40:05","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T11:40:05","slug":"ai-governance-starts-with-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harnham.com\/ai-governance-starts-with-people\/","title":{"rendered":"AI Governance Starts with People"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-194613\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harnham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-design-5-300x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"73\" height=\"73\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harnham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-design-5-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.harnham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-design-5-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.harnham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-design-5-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.harnham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-design-5-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.harnham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-design-5.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 73px) 100vw, 73px\" \/> By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/kiranramasamy\/\">Kiran Ramasamy<\/a>, Managing Consultant, Harnham\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it comes to AI it is no longer a question of adoption for businesses, the challenge now is how to use it responsibly and at scale.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s where governance comes in. And it\u2019s not just about tech; it\u2019s about talent.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A recent <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.isaca.org\/about-us\/newsroom\/press-releases\/2025\/ai-use-is-outpacing-policy-and-governance-isaca-finds\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ISACA<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> report reveals that while 83% of IT and business professionals say AI is already in use within their organisation, only 31% have a formal, comprehensive AI policy in place.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That gap isn\u2019t just in numbers. Without the right people who can interpret regulation, assess risk, challenge bias, and build actionable frameworks, your AI strategy lacks a stable foundation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which is why responsible AI starts with people, those who can manage the tech\u202fand human factors that make or break it.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Why AI Governance Roles Are No Longer Optional<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Governance-first roles are now essential to deploying AI responsibly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When there\u2019s no one in place to manage oversight and accountability, things break down:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Biased models go unchecked<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Decisions can\u2019t be explained or justified<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teams move faster than the safeguards in place<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To prevent that, organisations are hiring people who can translate regulation into real-world practices, spot risks before they scale, and build frameworks that hold up under scrutiny.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Legal pressure is growing too. In Europe, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/artificialintelligenceact.eu\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EU AI Act<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> sets strict rules for high-risk systems. In the US, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov\/ostp\/ai-bill-of-rights\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AI Bill of Rights<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is reshaping how organisations approach fairness, transparency, and oversight.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Compliance might be the starting point, but trust is what makes AI sustainable. And trust is built by people who can guide the system, challenge assumptions, and ensure AI delivers on its promise without compromising on values.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Governance Roles in Action<\/b><\/h3>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UK Case Study: Building a Responsible AI Function<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To support its global push into AI and machine learning, a leading entertainment company partnered with Harnham to build out its machine learning function.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Harnham supported the organisation to hire two specialists<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with deep expertise in GenAI, cloud-first engineering, and computer vision, enabling the company to launch its UK AI capability in just 48 days.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These hires brought immediate impact, supporting cross-functional collaboration, leading strategic delivery, and helping shape a responsible AI roadmap from the ground up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read the full case study <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harnham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Harnham-Case-Study-Strengthening-UK-Gaming-Company-with-Contractors.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">US Case Study:\u00a0 Building Strategic Leadership for Scalable AI<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When a global investment advisory firm set out to build its AI capability from scratch, there was no roadmap; just a clear need for senior leadership who could deliver innovation and embed governance from the start.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Harnham was able to deliver two strategic hires<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in under four weeks: Director of AI Engineering and Director of AI Strategy. Both brought deep experience in AI\/ML, LLM integration, and C-suite stakeholder engagement, helping the firm align innovation with compliance, trust, and long-term value.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read the full case study <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harnham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Harnham-Case-Study-Building-AI-Leadership-in-PE.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Key Takeaway<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AI governance is a capability, and it doesn\u2019t come from tools alone. It comes from people with the skills to ask the right questions, build the right frameworks, and help AI deliver on its promise responsibly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you&#8217;re thinking about how to strengthen your organisation\u2019s approach to AI governance, we\u2019re here to help.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Explore how Harnham<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">builds responsible AI teams at<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/harnham.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">harnham.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Hiring for AI? Let\u2019s Make It Simple<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harnham.com\/ai-hiring-how-to-guide\/\"><b>Download our AI Hiring Guide<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 a practical resource to help you identify which roles to hire and when.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Kiran Ramasamy, Managing Consultant, Harnham\u00a0 When it comes to AI it is no longer a question of adoption for businesses, the challenge now is how to use it responsibly and at scale. That\u2019s where governance comes in. And it\u2019s not just about tech; it\u2019s about talent. A recent ISACA report reveals that while 83%&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":617,"featured_media":194597,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[397],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-194595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artifical-intelligence"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>AI Governance Starts with People - Harnham<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover why AI governance roles are essential. 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