EMA Research Webinar to Examine the Growing Governance Gap Behind Enterprise AI Adoption

New webinar will explore why AI tools are being slowed or blocked in procurement and what organizations should evaluate before moving forward

LAFEYETTE, Colo., Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Enterprise Management Associates (EMA™), a leading IT research and consulting firm, today announced a live webinar examining the growing gap between the pace of enterprise AI adoption and the governance frameworks needed to manage it. The Governance Gap in AI Adoption and How to Fix will feature Christopher M. Steffen, VP of Research covering information security, risk, and compliance management at EMA, and Justin Beals, CEO and Founder of Strike Graph, an AI-native GRC platform.

As organizations move quickly to adopt AI-powered tools, governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) reviews are increasingly becoming a critical checkpoint in the procurement process. At the same time, finance leaders are questioning whether rising AI and token costs are translating into measurable productivity gains.

"We are at the point where the adoption of AI is not only a cybersecurity conversation, but also a risk management and IT governance discussion," said Steffen. "Organizations are starting to weigh perceived productivity gains against increased organizational risk, trying to balance innovation and security while adopting paradigm-shifting technologies."

During the session, Steffen and Beals will examine what is happening inside enterprise AI governance today, including why procurement teams are slowing down AI investments, the implications of rapidly growing token consumption, and how the architecture behind an AI tool can affect its risk and cost profile.

"Token costs are the symptom, not the disease. The real problem is that most organizations adopted AI tools before they had a way to answer basic questions about how those tools work, where the data goes, and what happens when something breaks," said Beals. "Until governance catches up, every dollar spent on AI is a bet placed without full visibility into the odds."

Participants will gain insights into:

• Why governance concerns are increasingly slowing or blocking AI tools in procurement
• What's driving runaway token spend without proportional productivity gains
• How AI architecture choices can affect risk exposure, cost predictability, and long-term vendor trust
• What GRC teams should evaluate before approving AI tools, including data exposure, whether data is used to train models, and the vendor's testing methodology

The webinar will take place Wednesday, September 30, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. Registration is available at: info.enterprisemanagement.com/the-governance-gap-in-ai-adoption-webinar-pr

About EMA 
Founded in 1996, EMA is a leading IT research and consulting firm dedicated to delivering actionable insights across the evolving technology landscape. Through independent research, market analysis, and vendor evaluations, we empower organizations to make well-informed technology decisions. Our team of analysts combines practical experience with a deep understanding of industry best practices and emerging vendor solutions to help clients achieve their strategic objectives. Learn more about EMA research, analysis, and consulting services at www.enterprisemanagement.com and follow them on X and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:
Raleigh Gould
Enterprise Management Associates
[email protected]

SOURCE Enterprise Management Associates