What is AI Governance? Frameworks, Principles, and Best Practices

AI governance is the system of frameworks, policies, and controls that direct how an organization builds, deploys, and oversees artificial intelligence. According to Docker’s State of Agentic AI report, 60% of organizations already have AI agents in production, yet 40% cite security and compliance as the number-one barrier to scaling them further. As AI takes on higher-stakes decisions and agents operate with greater autonomy, organizations without clear guardrails face mounting exposure to regulatory penalties, security vulnerabilities, and reputational damage.