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Committees and Collegial Bodies

Purpose​

Committees provide governance of AI initiatives at the decision-making level. They make stage gate decisions, approve portfolio priorities, and monitor compliance with standards. The main output of committee work is stage gate decisions: continue, pause, or close an initiative.

Types of committees​

AI Investment Committee​

The primary decision-making body for the portfolio of AI initiatives.

Functions:

  • Making stage gate decisions on initiatives (Go / No-Go / Hold)
  • Approving portfolio priorities and allocating budget
  • Assessing the business impact of delivered initiatives
  • Deciding on allocating resources to new stages

Composition:

  • Heads of business units (sponsors)
  • CTO / CDO (or their representatives)
  • AI Office Lead
  • Invitees: initiative owners, technical leaders (by agenda)

Cadence: monthly or quarterly, depending on portfolio volume.

Architecture Committee​

Oversees technical quality and compliance with corporate standards.

Functions:

  • Architecture review of solutions before moving to production (Gate 3)
  • Verifying integration with the existing IT landscape
  • Assessing infrastructure, security, and scalability requirements
  • Approving technical standards for AI solutions

Composition:

  • Solution Architects
  • Information security representatives
  • Data Governance representatives
  • The infrastructure team
  • AI Product Owner (by agenda)

Cadence: as initiatives reach Gate 3; for a large flow — regular sessions (every 2 weeks).

AI Ethics / Risk Committee​

Assesses the risks of applying AI models in business processes.

Functions:

  • Assessing model risk for high-risk initiatives
  • Checking for bias and model fairness
  • Assessing regulatory compliance
  • Recommending risk mitigation measures
  • Classifying initiatives by risk level

Composition:

  • Risk management representatives
  • Compliance / regulatory function
  • Data Governance
  • AI Office Lead or a representative
  • External experts (when needed)

Cadence: for high-risk initiatives — mandatory before Gate 3–4; for the rest — on request.

Adapting to the organization​

Not every organization needs all three committees:

  • Minimal configuration — a single AI Committee combining the functions of the investment and architecture committees. Suitable for organizations with a small portfolio (up to 10–15 initiatives)
  • Standard configuration — Investment Committee + Architecture Committee. Suitable for medium and large organizations
  • Full configuration — all three committees. Recommended for banks, fintech companies, and organizations with high regulatory requirements

Operating principles​

  • Decisions are made based on predefined criteria (Stage-Gate model)
  • Artifacts for stage gate decisions are prepared by the working group and the AI Office in advance
  • Decision outcomes are recorded and available to all participants in the process
  • A committee does not replace the initiative owner — it makes the decision but does not manage delivery