The IAPP AI Governance Global Europe 2026 conference brought together experts to discuss the practical challenges of AI governance at a moment when regulatory frameworks already exist but their implementation is still being worked out.
The event made clear that the global AI debate has reached an inflection point. After years of legislative discussion, the focus has shifted to concrete governance implementation. With the AI Act Omnibus – the revision of the European AI regulation – pushing certain deadlines to December 2027, there is a widespread but mistaken perception that organizations have time. The experts present, however, argued the opposite.
One of the central themes was the phenomenon of “shadow AI”: business units are adopting AI tools independently and in a decentralized manner, often through low-value subscriptions procured outside formal governance processes. Where internal bureaucracy stalls AI adoption, employees bring their own tools and create what specialists call “parallel AI.” The result is systems operating without adequate documentation, with inconsistent standards and gaps in accountability and compliance.
The panel dedicated to the topic, led by representatives from Randstad, BCG, Coinbase, and Bird & Bird, argued that the answer is not to slow down innovation, but to distribute governance with the same fluidity. This requires AI literacy across all functions that develop, procure, or operate systems.
Barry Scanell, partner at William Fry and member of the Irish AI Advisory Council, was direct: “If harmonized standards will define what technical compliance means, legal professionals need to feel comfortable operating in deeply technical territory, and vice versa.” The message reinforces that AI governance is not a function that can be siloed within legal or compliance teams.
The conference also addressed the next steps under the EU AI Act, with a focus on compliance deadlines for high-risk systems, now set for December 2027, and the urgent need for technical experts to contribute to the development of the harmonized standards that will define what compliance means in practice.