At a recent Mayfield CXO Insights Call, four of the top minds in business were assembled on a panel to share their perspectives on how executives can effectively engage the boardroom on the topic of AI. This session is designed to help CXOs craft thoughtful, strategic narratives that resonate with directors and align with long-term company goals.
The discussion was framed as an ability to:
- Engage on AI conversations in a way that drives board-level understanding and alignment
- Address key concerns board members have around AI—including governance, risk, and opportunity assessment
- Examine real-world examples of how boards are approaching GenAI and enterprise innovation
- Learn insights into board expectations around AI-related investments
What was achieved was much more. The panel centered on tips on translating technical AI discussions into business-impact language that earns trust and accelerates decision-making and sharing perspectives on building AI fluency and literacy across the boardroom and included:
- Anna Catalano, former SVP BP, SVP/Pres Amoco, and board director at Frontdoor, HF Sinclair, and Ecovyst
- Tami Erwin, formal EVP/CEO Verizon Business, and board member John Deere, F5, Xerox and more
- Wendy M. Pfeiffer, former CIO Nutanix and GoPro and board director at Qualys, Opnova, HFC, SADA and more
- Karenann Terrell, former CIO Glaxo, Walmart, Baxter, Mercedes, and board director at UiPath, Eaton, Fractal and more
- Diane Trynesk, former senior executive at Discovery, Disney, CDO/CTO at HBO; and board director at Southern New Hampshire University and the International Neuropalliative Care Society and more
From the start the panel unpacked one of today’s most pressing leadership topics on addressing the risk versus rewards of integrating organizational-wide AI and discussing these risks and rewards to a boardroom audience.
The conversation was rich with strategic insight and it became clear that successfully integrating AI into enterprise strategy requires demonstrating to the board that this is a leadership imperative – not just a technological decision that they need to make.
One observation, shared by Anna Catalano, left me speechless in its clarity and impact when she said “CIOs and other technical executives bringing AI into the boardroom conversation must remember that technology first entered the boardroom through the lens of cybersecurity.”
Why does this matter? Anna continued to reiterate that it’s not just historical trivia—it defines the board’s default posture: risk management. When boards hear about AI, they may subconsciously filter it through the same mental model used for cybersecurity—one that emphasizes threat mitigation, regulatory compliance, and operational resilience.
But AI is different. Effective AI adoption involves experimentation, iteration, and yes, some degree of failure. This inherent ambiguity can clash with a board’s natural instinct to minimize risk. Leaders must therefore frame AI discussions with awareness of this legacy risk lens—while guiding the board toward a more balanced view that considers both risk and reward.
That’s where Karenann Terrell’s guidance becomes especially relevant. She stressed the importance of understanding the structure and responsibilities of individual board members, including which committees they support. This kind of preparation enables CIOs and AI leaders to tailor their messaging—communicating AI’s potential risks to the Audit or Risk Committee while emphasizing growth, innovation, and competitive advantage to Strategy or Innovation Committees.
This dual approach of honoring the board’s risk focus while expanding the conversation to include opportunity is critical. AI at the board level should not be a black box discussion filled with jargon or techno-optimism. Instead, it must be business-aligned, transparent, and measurable. Leaders should be prepared to answer questions like:
- What business problem are we solving with AI?
- How will we measure success?
- What governance is in place to ensure responsible use?
- How does this align with our broader strategic goals?
Ultimately, bringing AI into the boardroom is not just about advocating for new tools; it’s about evolving how the organization thinks about innovation, growth, and leadership in a changing world. The best conversations aren’t purely technical but rather strategic, informed, and in the board room it seems important not to discount the human impact, as well, to this artificial transformation.
