Governance is the universal language for executive buy-in to AI

AI is constantly expanding and building upon its own progress, as the world watches in awe. For many businesses, governments, and individuals, the breakneck speed of AI may feel like a global arms race.

In a recent conversation with Jaime Aguirre, Head of AI Consulting at GenAIx and former KPMG global cloud audit lead, we discussed how the AI race is unfolding and why many are struggling to keep up.

AI is a relay, not a race: "I was recently told that the AI race is similar to the race to the moon," Aguirre shared. "But I countered that, because when you reach the moon, you’re done. You conduct experiments, collect samples, and return. It's a one-time destination." Aguirre argues that AI, however, is more like a relay race—a continuous journey with no finish line.

"In a relay, you're running a lap, but you pass the baton to someone else. Sometimes you’re ahead, other times you fall behind, but there’s no clear end," he explained. "This analogy works because AI isn't finite. You see innovations like DeepSeek and other operators charging ahead, but then others will pick up the baton and accelerate beyond them. It’s an ongoing race with no finish."

Human resource challenges: The speed of AI’s evolution has also sparked widespread concern among workers. "Many people are afraid of AI," Aguirre noted. "They know it’s happening, but they're unsure how it will affect them. It's a massive technological wave hitting society, and it's not slowing down."

Businesses struggle to adapt: For businesses, the challenge lies not just in keeping up, but in understanding how AI fits into their operations. Aguirre explained, "Corporate executives are nodding in agreement when discussing AI’s potential, but many walk out of meetings unsure of what just happened." Their confusion showcases that even the people leading companies and responsible for bringing AI into the fold are still uncertain about the technology itself. Aguirre’s company, GenAIx, helps companies future-proof their operations by helping them determine which AI would best suit their needs and then implement the correct AI into workflows, in order to give company leaders needed AI expert support. 

Regulations can't keep pace: The rapid development of AI is creating a significant gap between technological advancements and the regulatory frameworks designed to protect AI’s consumers. "Governments and regulatory agencies move at a kind of a meditated, premeditated, constant speed for which they need time to analyze things. Whereas, in AI, there's nothing stopping progress," Aguirre said. "There hasn’t been a moment where the industry has paused to allow governments and regulators to catch up."

Security concerns: As with any conversation around what AI can do for companies, security and privacy crop up as primary discussions and drivers of important questions. Aguirre stressed, "When you begin to look at the whole 360 view of how these language models are affecting us, it truly brings up another realm of questions: ‘How is this being done? How is this being governed? How is this being used by someone else?’ So you go from the convenience of having that functionality, the summarization of information, to worrying about where's my data being stored?

Multinational complexities: Finally, Aguirre touched on the complexity of achieving global consensus on AI governance. "If the US is struggling to regulate AI effectively, imagine the challenges we face when trying to align countries like Canada, European nations, or even those in Asia and Africa," he said. "It’s a global issue with multiple political landscapes, and getting everyone on the same page is incredibly difficult."