AI Governance Is Adding Hours to Leaders’ Workweeks

Enterprise AI adoption has risen, while greater governance attention has shifted strategies from an anything-goes approach toward risk-aware plans directed at value. [1] Four in five senior business decision-makers, including CIOs, CISOs, and CDOs, are using more of their day to manage AI risk, according to a survey released by governance platform vendor OneTrust. [1] Their working hours are up 26% on average because of the issue, while challenges from agentic AI are mounting. [1]

One-third of respondents said employees used unapproved AI because approved tools or processes were not available quickly enough. [1] Eighty-six percent reported AI-related incidents, and more than one-quarter had experienced at least two incidents involving AI systems taking unapproved actions. [1] Separately, Boston Consulting Group found that 42% of frontline employees who regularly use AI save nearly a full workday each week, while most receive no guidance about using the saved time. [1]

The contrast is operational: AI users can gain meaningful time while senior technology and risk leaders report more oversight work. OneTrust’s unapproved-tool finding suggests governance friction is not only a policy problem; delays in approved options can shape employee behavior. Compared with BCG’s productivity findings, OneTrust’s incident and workload figures show that efficiency gains and governance burdens can coexist across enterprise AI programs. What the sources don't address: whether faster approvals, clearer guidance, or automated controls can reduce leaders’ workload without slowing useful AI adoption.