As organisations move beyond AI experimentation and towards enterprise-wide adoption, one question has become increasingly important: what is the role of the board?

In this episode of Futurise – The AI for Business Podcast, Rob Price is joined by Karen Silverman, CEO of a leading West Coast board advisory firm, to explore how boards and executive teams should approach the rise of Agentic AI. Drawing on her experience advising organisations around the world, Karen shares practical insights into how directors can balance innovation with governance, manage risk without stifling progress, and make confident strategic decisions in a rapidly evolving AI landscape.

The conversation explores the biggest decisions facing today's leadership teams, including whether to build or buy AI capabilities, how to navigate an increasingly crowded ecosystem of foundation models and AI platforms, the growing importance of sovereign AI and data residency, and how boards should think about measuring return on investment beyond traditional financial metrics.

One of the standout discussions focuses on the often-overlooked gap between board strategy and operational execution. While boards define ambition, it is middle management that must redesign work, lead organisational change and deliver outcomes. Karen discusses how successful organisations bridge this divide and why leadership alignment is becoming a critical differentiator.

Whether you're a board director, CEO, CIO, transformation leader or AI practitioner, this episode offers practical guidance on leading AI adoption with confidence, responsibility and long-term business value.

In this episode:

• The first conversations every board should have about Agentic AI
• Balancing experimentation with governance
• Bridging the gap between board strategy and operational execution
• Build, buy or partner? Making the right AI investment decisions
• AI models, platforms and what boards really need to understand
• Sovereign AI, regulation and global boardroom perspectives
• Measuring ROI and defining success for enterprise AI
• What separates organisations that will thrive from those that fall behind

If you're responsible for shaping your organisation's AI strategy, this episode provides an executive-level perspective on one of the most important business transformations of the decade.

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