Adoption and oversight are moving at different speeds. A new survey of more than 200 senior leaders across the Asia-Pacific region found that 57% of organisations have already incorporated AI into their work processes, but only 36% have audited how employees are actually using it, and just 34% have created a committee or working group to govern AI risk. The gap between how fast AI is being adopted and how slowly governance is catching up is now one of the clearest patterns in board data.
The findings come from the Governance Outlook 2026 report, produced by the Diligent Institute in partnership with the Governance Institute of Australia and the Singapore Institute of Directors, surveying leaders across listed companies, government bodies, and not-for-profit organisations, which made up 31% of respondents. Digital transformation, including AI risks and opportunities, ranked as the most urgent board agenda item for 65% of respondents, ahead of cybersecurity and financial conditions. 70% of respondents identified data quality and privacy as their top concern, specifically with generative AI.
Diligent Institute Executive Director Dottie Schindlinger said many boards are not yet having the conversations that adoption demands, warning that “companies are not having those conversations right now, and that’s a big risk.” Asia-based respondents showed a different emphasis than their Australia-based counterparts, favouring board recruitment of AI-literate directors and mandatory director training over restricting AI use outright.
For association boards, many of which operate with small secretariats and limited technical staff, the finding carries a specific warning. Adopting AI tools for member services, content production, or data analysis without a matching oversight structure, even an informal one, creates exposure that only becomes visible after something goes wrong. The report’s own respondents point to a practical first step: assign a named person or committee to review how AI is actually being used, before expanding its use.
