Module · The board approves what it cannot question

The Board AI Literacy Check

A board cannot govern what it does not understand, yet most approve AI budgets and strategies on faith. This module tests whether your board can exercise real oversight: whether it has been trained, asks the hard questions, has set a risk appetite, sees unfiltered information, and can still say no.

Question 1 of 5 · The board is trained

Has your board had any AI training beyond a vendor demo?

A vendor pitch teaches you what to buy, not how to govern. Directors need enough grounding to judge a proposal, which is a different thing from knowing how the model works.

Question 2 of 5 · It asks hard questions

When AI is presented, does the board ask about risks, not just returns?

A board that only interrogates the upside prices half the decision. The governing questions are what could go wrong, who is accountable, and how anyone would know in time.

Question 3 of 5 · Risk appetite is set

Has the board defined how much AI risk the company is willing to take?

Without a written appetite, every AI decision is argued from first principles and won by whoever pitches hardest. The appetite is the line management should know before it asks.

Question 4 of 5 · Information is unfiltered

Does the board see AI performance and incidents directly, or only what management chooses to show?

A curated deck smooths over exactly the signals a board needs. Direct access to metrics and incident logs is what separates oversight from ratification.

Question 5 of 5 · It can say no

Could your board reject an AI initiative that management strongly backs?

A board that cannot decline is a signature, not a check. Independence is only real once it has been exercised at least once against a proposal with momentum.

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Three questions for the public picture

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Has your board received any AI-specific training?

None

Informal, self-directed

One formal session

Ongoing education

Not sure

How often is AI a formal item on the board agenda?

Never

Ad hoc, when it comes up

A few times a year

Every meeting

Not sure

Does your board have independent AI expertise?

No one with AI depth

One director with expertise

An external advisor

A dedicated committee

Not sure

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