What Directors Think Report Exposes Growing Divide Between Risk Complexity and Board Preparedness According to Diligent and Corporate Board Member<\/p>\n
America\u2019s boardrooms are racing to overhaul their scenario planning processes, but most are under-prepared to deal with the complexity. A new survey of public company directors exposes a widening 2026 readiness gap: while 84% of directors have significantly changed their approach to address escalating risks, only 10% are using AI tools to manage the growing complexity. These and other findings are detailed in the\u00a02026 What Directors Think report, which is an annual partnership between\u00a0Diligent, the AI leader in GRC SaaS solutions, and\u00a0Corporate Board Member, a leading publication for public company directors.<\/p>\n
Boards are expanding scenario planning at unprecedented speed, yet most still rely on traditional processes<\/p>\n
Directors are fundamentally transforming their approach to scenario planning, with nearly half (49%) expanding the scope of each scenario considered, 46% increasing time spent on scenario planning, 36% running a wider range of scenario types, and roughly a quarter engaging more internal stakeholders (24%) and external experts (22%). This expansion of scenario planning generates significantly more data and complexity, yet most boards aren\u2019t leveraging the right tools to streamline it.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoard-level AI adoption remains nascent not because directors don\u2019t see the value, but because many lack the safeguards, best practices, and governance frameworks needed to deploy AI responsibly in the boardroom,\u201d said\u00a0Dottie Schindlinger, Executive Director of Diligent Institute. \u201cThe opportunity now is to close that gap with structured approaches that boards can trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
Key findings from the report include:<\/p>\n
AI adoption in the boardroom is broad but not deep. Board-level use of AI for risk and strategy oversight is nascent.\u00a0While 66% of boards report\u00a0using AI in the boardroom, only 3% have fully integrated AI into their risk oversight and strategic decision-making. When examined more closely, 40% do not use AI at all for risk oversight, 33% use it minimally, 20% use it moderately, and only 3% report extensive use.<\/p>\n
AI and M&A lead 2026 growth plans.\u00a0While 38% of directorsidentify AI deployment as a leading organizational growth priority for 2026 and 40% are prioritizing growth via M&A or partnerships, most boards continue to rely on more manual methods for their own scenario planning and risk oversight \u2013 revealing a clear gap between corporate AI strategy and boardroom practice.<\/p>\n
Technology investment leads 2026 capital allocation.\u00a042% of directors expect to invest the most capital in technology adoption and integration, supporting digital transformation initiatives.<\/p>\n
Crisis planning is zeroing in on cyber, economic, and regulatory threats.\u00a0Boards are concentrating crisis exercises on the most likely, high-impact threat areas, including cyber events and data breaches (63%), economic shocks (58%), and\u00a0regulatory or policy shifts\u00a0(56%).<\/p>\n
Directors see three levers to strengthen risk oversight.\u00a0When asked what would most improve their risk oversight capabilities, directors identified: more frequent and structured full-board risk discussions (47%), a clearer link between risk oversight and strategy setting (32%), and enhanced use of AI-powered data and technology tools (26%).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe research shows that boards are doubling down on crisis preparedness for cyber risks, economic shocks, regulatory changes and supply chain disruptions, among many other events, but all of these risks don\u2019t evolve in isolation,\u201d says Melanie C. Nolen, Corporate Board Member\u2019s Research Director. \u201cThe opportunity isn\u2019t to replace human judgment, but to strengthen it with tools that can track how these threats intersect in real time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Download the comprehensive report\u00a0for actionable insights board leaders can use to navigate a volatile year ahead, and for detailed findings on scenario planning, AI adoption, M&A priorities, and board investment strategies for 2026.The post Boards Double Down on Scenario Planning, but 90% Lack AI Tools to Keep Pace first appeared on AI-Tech Park.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What Directors Think Report Exposes Growing Divide Between Risk Complexity and Board Preparedness According to Diligent and Corporate Board Member America\u2019s boardrooms are racing to overhaul their scenario planning processes, but most are under-prepared to deal with the complexity. A new survey of public company directors exposes a widening 2026…<\/p>\n
The post Boards Double Down on Scenario Planning, but 90% Lack AI Tools to Keep Pace<\/a> first appeared on AI-Tech Park<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-container-style":"default","site-container-layout":"default","site-sidebar-layout":"default","disable-article-header":"default","disable-site-header":"default","disable-site-footer":"default","disable-content-area-spacing":"default","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1],"tags":[3],"class_list":["post-863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ai","category-ai-and-ml","tag-ai"],"yoast_head":"\n