In this episode of AI Governance with Dr. Freddie Seba, Freddie sits down with Dr. Johnathan Cromwell, Associate Professor and Faculty Director of the Entrepreneurship & Innovation (E&I) Initiative at the University of San Francisco, to examine how AI is changing the innovation equation—and what ethical governance looks like when leaders are operating under ambiguity. AI flips traditional problem-solving on its head. Instead of starting with a clearly defined problem and searching for a solution, teams increasingly start with powerful, pre-built capabilities. The leadership challenge becomes deciding where to apply them, how to evaluate outcomes, and which constraints (governance parameters) must be in place before scaling. Actionable insights for boards, trustees, and executive leadership:
- A practical value map for AI initiatives: exploit existing value, expand value, explore new value
- Why small, well-designed experiments beat big bets—and how data design prevents “signal” that is really just noise
- How to treat constraints as governance parameters: acceptable use, data boundaries, privacy/security, human decision points, logging/auditability, and escalation paths when systems fail quietly
- Why governance must tighten as autonomy increases, especially for agentic and embodied AI
- What AI literacy looks like as an operating requirement, not a training checkbox
- Why partnering with academia can strengthen strategy, evaluation, and oversight
Resources discussed: Harvard Business Review (June 2023): “Discovering Where ChatGPT Can Create Value for Your Company” https://hbr.org/2023/06/discovering-w… Guest: Dr. Johnathan Cromwell (University of San Francisco) https://www.usfca.edu/management/facu…
This podcast is a companion to Dr. Freddie Seba’s AI Ethics & Governance for Leaders (Newsletter) — publishes Mondays. https://freddieseba.com
Show: AI Governance with Dr. Freddie Seba, Practical Guide to AI Oversight for Boards, Trustees, and Executive Leadership. Managing AI Governance and Ethics in a Growth Environment. Real. Bold. Impactful–in Plain Language.
Freddie Seba AI Keynote Speaker | AI Ethics Speaker | AI Governance Workshops | AI Governance Podcast Host | AI Newsletter Creator | Faculty-Practitioner | Silicon Valley Founder + Former Exec | MBA (Yale) • MA (Stanford) • EdD (USF) freddiesebaprofile
Substack: https://freddieseba.substack.com/podcast YouTube: / @aiethicsandgovernance Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ebJiki… Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast…
Educational content only (not medical/legal/financial advice). AI-assisted, final editorial control is the author’s. © 2026 Freddie Seba.
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