Ken Johnston
VP AI and Data Envorso; Founder AIGovOps Foundation
Johnston brings over 15 years of Data Science and AI Experience with him from his work at Microsoft, Ford Motor Company, and consulting. His current focus is on AI in regulated industries focusing on Data Governance and the growing needs around AI Governance Operationalization (AIGovOps) in a world of rapidly changing global regulations.Ken Johnston is an advisor, consultant, frequent keynote presenter, trainer, blogger, and author on software testing, lean data science, and AI governance. He is Founder of the AIGovOps Foundation and currently serves as VP of AI and Data for Envorso. He is the former CEO of Autonomic.ai and Ford VP for Telematics and Data Platforms. Prior to Ford, Ken spent 25 years at Microsoft in roles including Data Science Manager for the Microsoft 360 Business Intelligence Graph (M360 BIG) within Windows, GPM for Bing Local and Segments Search, General Manager for the Office 365 Cloud Development Team, and Test Manager for Commerce Server. He also served as Microsoft’s Director of Test and Operations Excellence, where he built the engineering learning curriculum across disciplines. Ken earned his MBA from the University of Washington, is an author of How We Test Software at Microsoft, a contributing author to Experiences of Test Automation, and is currently working on his next book, Lean AI Handbook. You can contact him through LinkedIn.
All Sessions by Ken Johnston
Your Next AI Regulator Is Your Underwriter AI Governance When the Rulebook Won't Hold Still: Insurance as the New Enforcement Layer
Most AI governance sessions still treat the regulator as the enforcement layer. By September 2026, that frame is broken. The EU AI Act's high-risk obligations are live. Colorado's landmark AI law collapsed in May — stayed by a federal court and effectively replaced before it ever took effect. There is no near-term US federal AI law. So where does the real enforcement pressure on US companies actually come from? Your insurance renewal. Your D&O carrier. Your E&O rider. Your cyber policy adding — or excluding — affirmative AI coverage. The same market dynamic that repriced cyber insurance between 2018 and 2022 is now running on AI, compressed into two to four years. The Anthropic settlement, the Workday class certification, the Oracle securities suit, and the Character.AI filings are the actuarial record forming in real time, and underwriters are already pricing against it. This session shows you what underwriters, auditors, and plaintiff's counsel will ask for — and where the evidence has to be emitted to defend it. You'll leave with a clear read on which regulatory bets matter, the points in your AI delivery lifecycle where governance evidence must be produced, and the questions to bring to your CFO, General Counsel, and insurance broker before your next renewal.
