AI Governance as Compliance with Bennett Borden

What is the intersection of AI and compliance? What about machine learning? Are you using ChatGPT? These questions are just three of the many we will explore in this cutting-edge podcast series, Compliance and AI, hosted by Tom Fox, the award-winning Voice of Compliance. Today Tom visits with Bennett B. Borden, a lawyer-data scientist and former CIA analyst who led DLA Piper’s global AI practice before founding Clarion AI Partners, an AI-focused law firm and development shop building AI solutions with governance “baked in.” Borden argues generative AI is transformative and that most legal work is highly repetitive and largely automatable, making traditional billable-hour law practice unsustainable. He frames AI governance as a compliance responsibility because AI operationalizes business objectives within regulatory constraints and must produce measurable, defensible proof of compliant behavior. He recommends cross-functional AI committees, using enterprise-licensed tools with enforceable policies, and building trust through controlled systems and quality controls. In a patchwork regulatory landscape, he emphasizes “reasonableness” and proving foreseeable risks are mitigated. He advises boards to oversee AI strategy, warns against delaying adoption, and urges compliance leaders to translate legal requirements into technical metrics (“governance engineering”). Resources: Bennett Borden on LinkedIn Clarion AI Partners Website Clarion AI Partners on LinkedIn Tom Fox Instagram Facebook YouTube Twitter LinkedIn