The Schellman Blog

Organizations are confident about AI governance, but the data tells a different story: 70% of organizations say they could pass an AI compliance audit today, while only 27% say their governance program is actually mature.

Soon after Dario Amodei, cofounder of Anthropic, recently warned that the technology industry has drastically understated the real dangers of AI, Sam Altman and Elon Musk agreed with him.

The regulatory landscape for AI is evolving and shifting, bringing downstream implications on governance that can't be ignored. Colorado's AI Act has already been rewritten once before even taking effect. States keep introducing new bills. Federal preemption remains more theory than reality. For companies trying to build AI compliance programs, the environment remains complex.

The regulatory landscape for AI is shifting faster than most organizations can keep up. Federal policies are shifting. States are flooding the zone with new legislation. Implementation timelines keep moving.

As organizations deploy AI agents to automate complex workflows, trust in their responsible use is just as important as their capabilities. Enterprises want to know not only what AI systems can do, but also how they behave in real-world conditions, how they are governed, and whether they can be trusted with sensitive data and critical business processes.

As organizations continue to map business priorities and initiatives for 2026, it's clear that AI governance has officially crossed the threshold from emerging discipline to an operational and strategic necessity. What was once exploratory is now enforceable, driven by state regulations, global compliance deadlines, buyer expectations, and the rapid evolution of AI itself.

Schellman's Danny Manimbo and Senior Associate within the AI practice, Jerrad Bartczak, discuss what you need to know about the overlap between HITRUST AI Security Assessment and ISO 42001 and how to map the two frameworks.

Schellman's Danny Manimbo and Senior Associate - AI, Jerrad Bartczak, discuss what you need to know about South Korea's AI Basic Act.

Danny Manimbo, Principal and ISO & AI Practice Leader at Schellman, is here to answer the most frequently asked questions surrounding ISO 42001 Certification.

Looking back, 2024 was the year of AI governance. At Schellman, we dove in headfirst and became the first ANAB ISO 42001-accredited Certification Body. We also started to see AI regulation come online internationally with the EU AI Act, as well as here in the U.S., where certain states also published their own AI regulation. While we're still lacking federal-level legislation—which may still come in the future—we also anticipate that this state-by-state patchwork of AI laws will expand.