AI Governance: Building a Defensible
Governance Framework — 22 Apr

Register Now →

SustainGRC AI Governance

Most enterprises have an AI policy.
What they don 't have is a system.

The gap isn't awareness. It's architecture. One system that discovers, classifies, and continuously governs every AI system in your organisation — against EU AI Act, ISO 42001, and NIST AI RMF. From one record.

Document & Policy Vault
Multi-framework
EU AI Act
ISO 42001
NIST AI RMF 1.0
The exposure

You can't govern what you can't see

The real risk isn't the AI systems organisations know about. It's the ones they don't. Shadow AI, unregistered models, tools adopted at team level without governance sign-off — that's where the liability sits.

80%

of large organisations claim AI governance initiatives

Fewer than half can demonstrate measurable maturity. Not because they lack intent — because they lack infrastructure.

60-80%

of enterprise AI use is unregistered

Shadow AI is the compliance blind spot quarterly audit cycles can't catch. The exposure is embedded before risk even knows to look.

€35M

maximum EU AI Act penalty

Or 7% of global annual turnover — whichever is higher. The window between "we have a policy" and "we have a finding" is closing fast.

How it works

Five phases. One registry. Full audit trail.

From shadow AI discovery to board reporting — every step produces auditable evidence, not documentation.

1

Unified enterprise risk universe

2

Classify

3

Assess

4

Evidence

5

Report

Find every AI system — including the ones nobody told you about

Shadow AI is where the liability sits. SustainGRC passively discovers AI API calls across your network, flags AI-enabled vendors at procurement, and provides self-service intake for business units. Every discovery enters the registry with mandatory owner assignment before it progresses

  • checkmark

    Network scan for known AI providers (OpenAI, Azure AI, Google Vertex, AWS Bedrock)

  • checkmark

    Procurement hook flags AI-enabled vendors automatically

  • checkmark

    Self-service intake for business-unit-led registration

Built For Background
Enterprise-Grade

Built for Regulated Environments

Security, transparency, and auditability are foundational—not afterthoughts.

Built into your GRC — not bolted on

Built into your GRC — not bolted on

High-risk AI systems automatically create linked entries in Enterprise Risk Management. AI-specific controls slot into your existing Controls Library. No parallel silo.

Transparent by design

Transparent by design

Every classification and readiness score shows its formula, inputs, and regulatory basis. No black-box scoring. No maturity models. Binary: compliant or finding raised.

AI proposes, humans confirm

AI proposes, humans confirm

AI assists with classification and gap detection. It never computes final scores or makes governance decisions. Every suggestion requires explicit human confirmation.

ESG × AI convergence

ESG × AI convergence

AI governance data feeds directly into CSRD disclosures (ESRS G1, S1), materiality assessments, and climate model governance — because sustainability reports must now cover AI risk.

How it works

What we deliberately don't build

If a feature requires a data scientist to configure or a PhD to interpret, it doesn't belong in a governance tool.

ML model monitoring dashboards

We surface alerts from your existing tools. We don't rebuild Datadog.

Algorithmic fairness testing

Bias testing is domain-specific. We ingest results as evidence. We don't score fairness.

AI ethics maturity models

Subjective, non-auditable, easily gamed. We do rule-based gap analysis against published standards.

Explainability visualisations

LIME/SHAP dashboards don't answer the CISO's question. Art. 13 demands plain-language purpose statements.

Connected intelligence

One registry. Every connection.

AI Governance data flows across your enterprise GRC and sustainability reporting — because every AI finding already maps to risk, controls, and disclosure.

Enterprise Risk

Enterprise Risk

High-risk AI systems auto-create linked risk entries with inherited controls.

CSRD / ESG Reporting

CSRD / ESG Reporting

AI system data feeds ESRS G1 governance and S1 workforce impact disclosures.

Board Governance

Board Governance

Pre-built one-page view: risk tiers, finding severity, compliance trajectory.

Controls Library

Controls Library

AI-specific controls slot into existing taxonomy. Same audit framework.

Materiality Assessment

Materiality Assessment

'Responsible AI' backed by registry evidence — not opinion surveys.

Third-Party Intelligence

Third-Party Intelligence

AI-enabled vendors flagged at procurement trigger automatic registry intake.

Regulatory timeline

EU AI Act enforcement is already underway

Regulation isn't waiting. Prohibited AI practices and GPAI transparency rules are already in force. High-risk enforcement is next.

February 2025

Prohibited AI practices

Social scoring, manipulative AI, real-time biometric surveillance (with exceptions).

August 2025

GPAI transparency rules

General-purpose AI model providers must comply with transparency and copyright obligations.

2 August 2026

High-risk AI enforcement

Conformity assessments, risk management, technical documentation, human oversight, and post-market monitoring become mandatory.

August 2027

Full implementation

All remaining provisions including AI embedded in regulated products.

Frequently AskedQuestions

Do I need the full SustainGRC platform?

Plus

No. AI Governance sells standalone for CDOs and DPOs who need compliance now. The registry connects naturally to ERM, Controls Library, and ESG Reporting when you're ready to expand.

    How does risk tiering work — is it a black box?

    Plus

    Never. Classification uses transparent, rule-based assessment against EU AI Act Annex III. Every decision shows the formula, weightings, and specific article. Human override always available with mandatory justification.

    What about AI systems we don't know about?

    Plus

    Shadow AI discovery scans network traffic for API calls to known AI providers. Procurement integration flags AI-enabled vendors. Self-service intake handles the rest.

    How does this connect to sustainability reporting?

    Plus

    Directly. AI system data feeds CSRD disclosures (ESRS G1, S1), materiality assessments, and climate model governance under TCFD/ISSB.

    What frameworks are covered?

    Plus

    EU AI Act (full article mapping), ISO 42001 (AI management system controls), and NIST AI RMF 1.0. All three assessed simultaneously against each system record.


    One platform. Data and decisions that hold up.

    Discovery to board reporting in weeks, not quarters. No data science team required.

    Book a Demo →