What Directors Are Talking About Now, and Where PRISM Takes the Conversation
Directors are being asked to help companies prepare for uncertainty without pretending they can predict what comes next.
The PRISM 2026 program will address several issues already occupying private company boards, including AI oversight, strategic agility and risk readiness.
Building fluency around AI
AI is no longer a topic boards can leave entirely to technical teams. Directors need enough understanding to evaluate how the technology is being used, what risks it introduces and whether oversight remains aligned with the company’s strategy and responsibilities.
PRISM programming will examine the questions directors should be asking about AI risk, governance and accountability, while keeping the distinction between board oversight and management execution clear.
Testing strategy against uncertainty
Boards must also help management plan when market conditions, technology and geopolitical developments can shift quickly.
The KPMG-sponsored session Strategy, Scenario Planning, and Agility: Where Boards Make the Difference will explore how directors can contribute outside-in perspectives, identify blind spots and help management consider trade-offs and multiple possible outcomes. The focus is not on predicting the future, but on improving preparation and decision-making when assumptions change.
This aligns with PwC’s current guidance for boards, which emphasizes strategy, resilience and the need to consider interconnected risks.
Looking beyond familiar risks
Preparedness also depends on identifying issues that may not yet be receiving enough board attention.
As part of PRISM’s pre-conference programming, Nelson Mullins will host the Securities & Corporate Governance Summit, including a discussion on director liability risks already concerning boards and hidden risks they may be overlooking.
The broader PRISM agenda will also consider crisis readiness, compliance effectiveness and how directors can assess whether governance practices are working under pressure.
AI, strategy and risk do not sit in separate parts of the board agenda. Decisions in one area can quickly affect the others. PRISM will give directors, executives and owners an opportunity to examine those connections and consider how their boards are responding.
PRISM 2026 takes place October 5–7 at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead.