Business leaders face mounting pressure to navigate AI disruption while facing substantial uncertainties. Forward-thinking executives are discovering how better understanding of risk can become a foundation for strategic AI adoption. Jovita Tam, a technologist and lawyer with extensive experience advising companies from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies, offers a fresh perspective on how not to get caught in the race to the bottom of diminishing margin.
From Robotics to Boardrooms
Jovita’s path to AI strategy wasn’t typical. She started in the University of Waterloo’s first mechatronics engineering class, which “combined computer engineering, systems design engineering, mechanical engineering…. It’s just robotics.” That technical foundation stuck with her through law school, into consulting and investment banking, where she’s worked with CEOs across different industries.
“I’m intimate with the idea of how do you solve a business problem genuinely, working with senior level executives,” she says. Her experience includes leading global programs at Fortune 500 companies, working with tier-one global banks on financial crime compliance, and working with scale-ups. It’s given her a practical view, not just what it says on strategic plans.
Using Risk to Reveal Market Signals
Most people think about risk too narrowly, according to Jovita. “I look at legal risk as a starting point,” she explains. “I look at it as offering basic guideline and understanding. Form there, I expand it to define customer needs and problems.” Take the EU AI Act, for example. While some companies focus on whether they’re compliant with specific requirements, Jovita sees bigger opportunities.
Legal and regulatory risks around data privacy, compliance, and AI governance are actually signals telling companies where things could go wrong for business, where transparency is demanded, and where innovation must be thoughtful. “The opportunity comes when you sit here and say, there are genuine impact to the decisions that I make in my business processes,” she notes. When companies listen to these signals early and build proactive frameworks, they position themselves not just to comply, but to lead in trust and resilience. This perspective becomes especially valuable when everyone else is using the same technology. “AI capability is available to a lot of people,” Jovita observes. “So, it’s commoditizing the market and reducing the margin.” Companies that only focus on operational efficiency risk getting stuck in a race to the bottom.
Three Ways to Get Strategic
Jovita’s approach breaks down into practical areas, though she’s careful to clarify this isn’t just about using AI for automation and promise to cut cost. Instead, it’s about how executives can approach AI disruption strategically.
Rethink Risk as a Strategic Signal
Rather than viewing compliance as a barrier, smart companies recognize these requirements as market intelligence. “This is an opportunity to reframe and challenge existing assumptions, to do things differently,” she says. Better questions might be: What assumptions about our business model need updating? What customer needs are changing because of AI?
Build Cross-Functional Governance Models
Risk doesn’t exist in isolation, and neither should AI strategy. Creating governance models that unite business, legal, data, product, engineering, compliance, security, operations, and other key teams is essential. This fosters a culture where safe & responsible technology drives innovation rather than stifling it, ensuring responsible AI becomes part of how businesses build trust with customers, regulators, and the public. As Jovita notes, “this helps companies move beyond thinking of “AI risk” as standalone and instead re-examine the impact of all business decisions.”
Align Strategy with Growth
Boards care about ROI and strategic alignment, but many AI initiatives don’t connect to broader business goals. “Understanding value chain and the impact of decisions” helps companies move beyond pilot projects to meaningful transformation. “You have the goal of growth and building resilience simultaneously,” Jovita explains, with better understanding of risk providing that anchor point.
Shaping AI Impact Through Human Choices
Predicting exactly how AI technology will evolve is probably impossible, but Jovita thinks that’s the wrong question anyway. “I think the immediate work comes down to reimagining, what is the role of humans and how do we want our society to evolve?” she asks. She describes AI as “an omni technology, a horizontal technology” that applies across industries. The interesting question becomes how different companies, departments, and individuals will “show up and work with this.” Legal debates about copyright and content creation show that is time for us to revisit existing approaches and frameworks.
“It is not just technology that would define how the future would look like,” Jovita says. “I think a lot of it comes down to how we choose to show up as humans.” That puts the responsibility back on business leaders to make thoughtful choices about how to move forward. While job disruption is inevitable, Jovita remains cautiously optimistic about human agency in this transition. “How we show up and what we decide collectively will determine the future that we’re going to live.” For executives willing to think strategically about risk, governance & compliance, Jovita thinks choices start with seeing GRC as competitive intelligence rather than a checkbox exercise.
Connect with Jovita Tam on LinkedIn to learn how she helps leaders build market differentiation while navigating AI disruption.
