What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to understand why AI governance frameworks have not been deployed despite extensive development.

April 5, 2026Open Access

Why AI Governance Frameworks Cannot Deploy

Key Points

The aim is to understand why AI governance frameworks have not been deployed despite extensive development.
Analysis of existing AI governance frameworks and their deployment challenges.
Assessment of the execution boundaries owned by entities benefiting from opacity.
Exploration of compliance mechanisms versus voluntary adoption pathways.
Non-deployment stems from structural issues rather than technical immaturity.
Current frameworks fail to address the motivation of entities to maintain opacity.
A shift to mandatory compliance measures is necessary for effective deployment.

Abstract

The AI governance conversation has produced dozens of frameworks, hundreds ofpublished papers, and an entire conference circuit. Almost none of it has deployed.This paper argues that non-deployment is not a sign of technical immaturity. It isthe predictable structural outcome of designing governance systems that require theentities with the most to lose from transparency to voluntarily adopt transparency.The frameworks describe what should happen at the execution boundary. They donot account for the fact that the execution boundary is owned by the entity thatbenefits most from keeping it opaque. Until governance enters through a compliancevector that cannot be routed around — rather than a voluntary adoption pathwaythat can — the frameworks will continue to not deploy. Post-quantum cryptographictransition mandates represent the most credible current forcing function.

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