PLI’s AI Governance Forum 2026

Freshfields' partners Anna Gressel, Global Co-Head of AI, and Megan Kayo will lead PLI's inaugural AI Governance Forum on October 1, 2026. This program brings together in-house counsel, chief compliance officers, outside lawyers, privacy and data protection professionals, board advisors and risk management leaders to examine the practical frameworks and forward-looking strategies needed to govern AI effectively and defensibly.

The program will explore the rapidly evolving AI governance landscape, from foundational architecture and risk classification to the advanced challenges posed by AI agents and frontier AI systems. It will feature keynote fireside chats with Kaitlin Asrow, Acting Superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services, and Sabrina Ross, Chief Privacy Auditor at the California Privacy Protection Agency, examining the future of state AI regulation, emerging regulatory priorities, and evolving approaches to AI governance and oversight. Discussions will address how to build governance frameworks from the ground up, tailor them to different business contexts, and navigate the challenges that arise when AI is embedded in commercial products. It will also explore how organizations can mature governance programs to keep pace with autonomous and semi-autonomous AI agents, while addressing board oversight responsibilities, AI incident response, and the global regulatory landscape, including New York's RAISE Act, enforcement of the EU AI Act, and the growing patchwork of U.S. state AI laws.

Attendees will gain practical insights from leading legal, regulatory and technology professionals on building and maturing AI governance frameworks in today's rapidly evolving environment.

After completing this program, participants will be able to:

• Design a fit-for-purpose AI governance framework
• Identify common governance failures and their root causes
• Evaluate advanced challenges including shadow AI, AI agents and vendor risk
• Advise boards on their AI oversight responsibilities
• Navigate the evolving global AI regulatory landscape