The frameworks, policies, laws, and organizational practices that guide how AI is developed, deployed, and used. This includes government regulation (the EU AI Act, executive orders), industry self-regulation (responsible scaling policies, model cards), corporate governance (AI ethics boards, usage policies), and international coordination on AI safety standards.
Why it matters
The technology is moving faster than the rules. Companies are shipping AI products into healthcare, criminal justice, and finance with minimal oversight. Governance is the attempt to set boundaries before something breaks badly enough to trigger a backlash that could set the entire field back.