I N S I G H TR E P O R TS E P T E M B E R2 0 2 5 Contents Foreword3 Executive summary4 Introduction5 Dimension 1:Strategy and value creation8 Play 1:Lead with a long-term, responsible AI strategy9and vision for value creation Play 2:Unlock AI innovation with trustworthy data governance12 Play 3:Design resilient responsible AI processes15for business continuity Play 4:Appoint and incentivize AI governance leaders19 Play 5:Adopt a systematic, systemic and context-specific21approach to risk management Play 6:Provide transparency into responsible AI practices24and incident response Dimension 3:Development and use27 Play 7:Drive AI innovations with responsible design as the default28 Play 8:Scale responsible AI with technology enablement31 Play 9:Increase responsible AI literacy33and workforce transition opportunities 36 Conclusion Contributors37 Endnotes43 Disclaimer This document is published by theWorld Economic Forum as a contributionto a project, insight area or interaction.The findings, interpretations andconclusions expressed herein are a resultof a collaborative process facilitated andendorsed by the World Economic Forumbut whose results do not necessarilyrepresent the views of the World EconomicForum, nor the entirety of its Members,Partners or other stakeholders. ©2025 World Economic Forum. All rightsreserved. No part of this publication maybe reproduced or transmitted in any formor by any means, including photocopyingand recording, or by any informationstorage and retrieval system. Foreword Cathy LiHead, Centre for AIExcellence; Member ofthe Executive Committee,World Economic Forum Arnab ChakrabortyChief Responsible AI Officer,Accenture Nearly three years into the world’s “generative artificialintelligence (AI) moment”, AI technologies are rapidlybeing woven into the fabric of our daily lives, societiesand economies. Advancing AI for innovation, humanrights and societal benefit demands intentionaldesign, ongoing oversight and active public-privatecollaboration across stakeholders. has mapped key challenges to the responsible AIimplementation gap and co-developed practicalmitigations. The alliance itself has becomethe Forum’s fastest-growing community, nowcomprising over 650 global members from industryleaders, governments, academia and civil societycollaborating to drive responsible AI innovation. Industry plays a frontline role in AI governancethrough a series of principles and practicesreferred to as “responsible AI”. However, thematurity in implementing these practices lagsbehind awareness of its importance, resulting ina responsible AI implementation gap. Businessleaders face several roadblocks in addressing thisgap that can arise from within their organizations,such as evaluating AI use and risk at scale, as wellas those that emerge from navigating the broaderjurisdictional environment, such as fragmentedregulatory approaches. If unaddressed, this lapsein AI governance is likely to erode confident AIinvestment, compliance and public trust. This playbook is the product of a sustained anddeliberate multistakeholder effort to address agap in AI governance and enable organizationsto advance their responsible AI efforts, buildingupon our previous report,Governance in the AgeofGenerative AI: A 360º Approach for ResilientPolicy and Regulation. By drawing on real-worldcase studies, comparative policy analyses, andinsights from diverse communities and disciplines,this work offers practical actions for business andgovernment leaders to build resilient, scalable andadaptive governance systems for AI innovation. While this playbook advances industry’s practice ofresponsible AI, building a trustworthy AI ecosystemrequires collaboration across all stakeholders. Weinvite decision-makers from civil society, academiaand government to join us in shaping a moreresilient global AI governance landscape. Over the past two years, the Resilient Governanceand Regulation working group of the WorldEconomic Forum’s AI Governance Alliance, withsupport from Accenture as its knowledge partner, Executive summary A playbook for organization and governmentleaders to advance responsible AI innovation. Responsible artificial intelligence (AI) – the practiceof developing and managing AI systems thatmaximize benefits and minimize the risks theypose to people, society and the environment1–is fundamental to sustainable innovation. Manyorganizations report benefits from implementingresponsible AI, including improved efficiency andenhanced customer trust.2Despite this, researchhas found that less than 1% of organizationshave fully operationalized responsible AI in acomprehensive and anticipatory manner.3This gapin responsible AI implementation slows progress,undermines trust in AI technologies and limits theirtransformative potential. This playbook providesnine essential playsacrossthree key dimensionsof responsible AI. Each playoffers complementary actions for the following: Organizational leaderstoov