The Centre of Excellence That Wasn’t
Why the centralised AI COE — built to govern risk in 2022 — has become the primary bottleneck on AI velocity in 2026, and what the federated operating model that actually ships outcomes looks like.
Challenges
Centralised AI Centres of Excellence, designed for a world where AI was scarce and high-risk, now impose a structural speed tax on every business unit that needs AI to operate differently this quarter — not next transformation cycle. Governance produces documentation, not outcomes, and the model cannot self-correct because accountability remains separated from delivery.