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AI tools are already inside board workflows. The more pressing challenge is whether directors have the governance thinking to deploy them well. In conversation with award-winning journalist and AICD member Philippa McDonald, OnBoard’s Justin Kumar argued that boards are not just end users of AI. They are the accountability layer. That distinction demands a different kind of leadership.
Justin Kumar speaks at the Australian Governance Summit 2026, Sydney International Convention Centre, 11 March 2026.
Where AI Adds Value and Where Risk Enters
Kumar walked through AI’s practical role across the meeting lifecycle: pre-meeting briefings, in-session decision support, and post-meeting documentation including AI-assisted minutes. The opportunity is real, but so is the exposure. Questions of liability, data security, and human oversight become sharper as AI takes on greater responsibility in board processes. The boards best positioned to navigate this are those establishing governance guardrails now, ahead of regulation.
“Boards that wait for regulation to define their responsibilities will already be behind.” Justin Kumar — APAC Sales Director, OnBoard
Governing AI, Not Just Using It
A central theme of the session was the twelve principles of ethical AI adoption, a framework to help boards move from aspiration to action. The principles span accountability, transparency, data governance, and human oversight. Kumar was clear they are not a compliance checklist, but a governance posture: a way of embedding ethical thinking into every decision about which tools to adopt and who holds accountability when things go wrong.
For directors, fluency matters too. Not technical fluency; boards do not need to understand the code. But directors do need enough working knowledge to ask the right questions of management, probe vendor claims critically and ensure AI strategy sits on the board agenda as a governance priority, not just an IT line item.
Go Deeper: The Shifting Governance Landscape
The themes raised in this session are part of a broader shift in governance expectations across the region. Our latest white paper examines how boards in Australia and New Zealand are responding, including the twelve principles of ethical AI adoption and the frameworks helping directors lead with confidence.
Keep that work inside your governance record, not a public chatbot.
About The Author
- Abby Weeks is a Senior Demand Generation Manager at OnBoard with extensive experience in B2B marketing. With over 15 years in client-side and agency roles, Abby specialises in demand generation, marketing strategy, and scaling multi-channel campaigns that drive awareness and growth. She is passionate about building impactful marketing programs that bridge strategy and execution. Based in Australia, Abby brings a deep understanding of both local and international markets to her work.
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