The Digitally Proficient Board
Most boards today have some familiarity with digital tools. Amrop's Mika Suortti thinks that's not nearly enough.
Suortti, Managing Partner at Amrop Finland and a member of both Amrop's Global Digital and Board Practices, argues that genuine digital proficiency means more than knowing the landscape — it means understanding how AI can actively support the board's own work. In conversation with Christian Axberg, Partner at Amrop Sweden, he makes the case for boards that can draw on AI-sourced insights for scenario planning and strategic decision-making, while remaining the final authors of judgment and accountability.
From Better Information To Higher-Quality Discussions
Suortti emphasizes that the immediate, observable benefit of AI and digital agents is improved preparation and richer discussion in board meetings. When boards have access to more data points and AI-sourced pre-reading tailored to company-specific scenarios, members arrive better informed and better able to focus on choices rather than information gathering. While hard, public evidence of impact is limited, partly because boards rarely disclose their internal workings, the practical result is clearer, faster, and more future-aware deliberation.
Axberg notes that the focus on AI governance and AI readiness at the board level reflects AI's disruptive power, and the Executive Management Team may not yet be evaluated on AI related progress. He stresses that many companies fail to gain traction because they prioritize e.g. cost savings or hide behind arguments like overall poor data quality. He suggests that the classic role of the board is changing in today’s faster-paced environment, moving away from being primarily a controlling organ, and we should see the first AGI board member appear at some point in the very near future.
A Mix of Specialist and Shared Capability
On composition and competence, Suortti advocates for a dual approach: it is valuable to have at least one board member with strong technology understanding, but digital literacy should not be confined to a single specialist.
Everyone around the table needs sufficient curiosity and capability to engage with AI-supported outputs and to probe their implications. This combination - deeper tech insight plus a broadly informed board - better equips the board to use AI agents and other digital tools without ceding judgment to technology.
Stronger Ties to Technology Leadership and Secure Practices
Suortti notes that the changing environment also alters relationships between the board and the company’s executive technology leaders. CIOs and CISOs are increasingly expected to be business-articulate and to support the board with technology updates as well as accessible, secure workspaces for the board’s AI-assisted work.
Companies should ensure secure, company-specific environments for board work and consider raising the profile of CIOs within the leadership team. Across industries the tempo differs, but Suortti’s view is consistent: every board should consider how to embed AI and digital capabilities into its governance to remain effective in a faster, more uncertain world.
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