{"id":547213,"date":"2026-10-21T15:59:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T13:59:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silicon-saxony.de\/ibm-eight-out-of-ten-companies-in-emea-escalate-ai-incidents-all-the-way-to-the-board-or-executive-management-level-ai-agents-are-putting-governance-to-the-test\/"},"modified":"2026-10-21T15:59:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T13:59:18","slug":"ibm-eight-out-of-ten-companies-in-emea-escalate-ai-incidents-all-the-way-to-the-board-or-executive-management-level-ai-agents-are-putting-governance-to-the-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silicon-saxony.de\/en\/ibm-eight-out-of-ten-companies-in-emea-escalate-ai-incidents-all-the-way-to-the-board-or-executive-management-level-ai-agents-are-putting-governance-to-the-test\/","title":{"rendered":"IBM: Eight out of ten companies in EMEA escalate AI incidents all the way to the board or executive management level\u2014AI agents are putting governance to the test"},"content":{"rendered":"

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When the pace of AI adoption outstrips the readiness of governance and compliance frameworks, the majority of executives (56% in EMEA) continue the rollout within agreed-upon risk limits while governance is being put in place. In Germany, as many as 64% of executives reported this. At the EMEA level, only one-third are postponing implementation entirely until governance is in place. This figure was noticeably lower among German respondents, at 23%.<\/p>\n

The survey of more than 3,200 executives at companies in eight countries across Europe and the Middle East suggests that governance guidelines will come under increasing pressure as AI agents operate with greater autonomy. 35% of respondents are already using agent-based AI in production; among German participants, this figure is 19%. However, three-quarters expect AI agents to possess a certain degree of decision-making autonomy by 2027; German respondents, at 62%, have lower expectations in this regard. Only 37% of all respondents\u201438% in Germany\u2014state that their current governance systems are designed to scale with the use of agent-based AI.<\/p>\n

Ana Paula Assis, IBM Senior Vice President and Chair, EMEA and APAC, said: \u201cThe debate surrounding AI has shifted from adoption to governance and accountability. As companies transition from AI assistants to autonomous agents, governance can no longer be viewed solely as a compliance issue. It has become a business necessity and a driver of value creation.<\/p>\n

The companies that can scale AI responsibly and trustworthily will reap the greatest business benefits. This means that governance must be directly integrated into the way AI agents operate\u2014with clear boundaries on their scope of action, clearly defined responsibilities for errors, and real-time control mechanisms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Accountability and Liability Gap<\/h3>\n

Nearly all executives surveyed (98% in EMEA, 95% in Germany) have formally established responsibility for AI risks at the executive board level. 26% of companies in EMEA have a dedicated AI committee at the executive board level; in Germany, this figure rises to 34%. At the same time, the study shows that there is no clear consensus on who is responsible for negative consequences caused by AI agents. The most frequently cited role was CIO or CTO, but this was mentioned by only 17% of respondents, both in EMEA and in Germany.<\/p>\n

Opinions also differ regarding legal liability in the event of significant damage caused by AI systems: 20% (in Germany: 19%) believe that liability should be shared proportionally between the user and the provider, 19% (in Germany: 22%) see the need for a regulatory framework, which is currently insufficient, and 14% (in Germany: 12%) attribute responsibility to the AI or technology provider.<\/p>\n

To manage increasingly autonomous AI agents\u2014which by 2027 could make decisions without human approval at every single step\u2014executives consider the following measures to be particularly necessary:<\/p>\n