AI Governance: Six Tests for CEOs and Boards

A new paper from RAND-affiliated complexity researcher Kyle A. Kilian and Future of Life Institute risk analyst Richard Mallah, published May 20 through the Center for AI Risk Management and Alignment (CARMA), gives executives something that has been missing from enterprise AI governance until now: a six-test diagnostic for evaluating whether the AI committee you stood up actually governs, or whether it just looks like it does.The paper's load-bearing concept is performative adaptivity. Governance that meets monthly, ratifies charters, and updates risk registers without the structural properties to detect a new AI risk in time to respond. The authors argue this failure mode is more dangerous than no oversight at all, because it consumes the organizational energy that would otherwise build real protective capacity.In this episode, Harrison walks through:Who CARMA is and why the RAND + Future of Life Institute pedigree mattersThe four continuous governance functions every AI committee needs (Sensing, Evaluation, Response, Learning)All six diagnostic tests (Independence, Transparency, Durability, Accountability, Authority, Scope Adequacy)Where The 7 Levels of AI Proficiency comes in, because structurally sound governance fails when the operators are under-proficientThree things to do with this paper this weekFull article with citations: launchready.ai/insights/ai-governance/performative-ai-governance-six-tests-carma-2026Take the free 7 Levels of AI Proficiency assessment at assess.launchready.aiThank you for tuning in!Harrison PainterExecutive AI ConsultantSetting the Standard for AI Readiness