Toward artificial governance? The role of artificial intelligence in shaping the future of corporate governance

Abstract

The article explores the impact of the ongoing progress and adaptation of artificial intelligence on the practice of the corporate governance. It applies three lenses to artificial governance—the business, technology and society lenses—to assess the desirability, feasibility and responsibility of automating board-level decision-making to ensure effective corporate governance. Based on an assessment of the potential and limitations of human and machine learning for effective board-level decision-making, the article proposes five scenarios of artificial governance, i.e. assisted, augmented, amplified, autonomous and autopoietic intelligence, that are likely to shape the governance of organizations today, tomorrow and beyond. It discusses the implications of both the governance of and the governance with artificial intelligence in the three horizons and concludes with an appeal to board members to take an active role in understanding, imagining and shaping the future of artificial governance.