Boards Are Asking 'Do We Have AI?' When They Should Ask Where AI Makes Decisions
The News
UNLEASH reports that boards are focusing on the wrong AI question. Julie Averill, former CIO of lululemon and current board director, says boards should shift from 'do we have AI' to 'where is AI making consequential decisions in this company.' Dan French, CEO of Consider Solutions, estimates only 30-40% of business problems genuinely benefit from probabilistic AI approaches, with the rest better served by deterministic technology. INSEAD's Annet Aris warns that boards are distracted by 'fancy AI tools' and missing the bigger challenge of organisational transformation. Averill draws a hard line on HR's role: AI governance accountability should sit in each business function, not parked at the CHRO's door, though HR is responsible for ensuring culture and leaders are set up to adopt AI.
Why It Matters
For TA leaders, this matters because your function is likely deploying AI in screening, matching, and scheduling without a clear governance owner. Averill's framing — 'where is AI making consequential decisions' — is the question your board will eventually ask, and if you don't have a mapped answer, you'll be on the back foot. The 30-40% figure from French is a useful challenge: not every TA problem needs AI, and applying it indiscriminately is a governance failure. The piece also clarifies that HR shouldn't own AI governance for the whole business, but TA leaders own it for their domain. If your AI screening tool is making decisions that affect hiring outcomes, that's your accountability, not IT's.
Taking Action
All action is situated in your corporate context. These are starting points, not prescriptions — choose what fits.
Connect
Who to talk with in your enterprise
Your CHRO — clarify who owns AI governance for talent acquisition decisions specifically. If the answer is 'the AI committee' or 'IT,' you have an accountability gap. Your legal or compliance partner — ask whether your current AI vendor contracts include provisions for auditing consequential decisions, or whether you've accepted vendor terms that make that impossible.
Inspect
What to take a closer look at
Inventory every AI touchpoint in your hiring process — sourcing, screening, ranking, assessment, scheduling, chatbot. For each, document: what decision does the AI make, who is accountable for that decision, and what would happen if it were wrong. If you can't complete this for every tool, you've found your governance gap before your board does.
Reflect
What to think about more deeply
When your board finally asks where AI is making hiring decisions in your company, will you hand them a map or an apology?