Do Boards Need a Technology Committee?

Should organizations consider having a separate technology committee? We visited this in 2017 Is it Time for Boards to Have a Technology Committee:

“Once a board decides that it needs to have technology issues vetted at the board table, whether through a technology committee or otherwise, it is equally important to have some tech expertise on the board itself.”

And today it is even more pressing; every organization faces opportunities, challenges, and risks associated with leveraging an ever-increasing choice of technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous/self-driving transportation, blockchain, cloud, drones, internet of things (IoT), robotics, and quantum computing. Any one of these technologies has the potential to change the way an organization operates.

In 2026, we may start to see more organizations considering the addition of a Technology Committee to ensure that they are providing more attention to the following:

• Technology trends
• Changes related to laws and regulations (privacy, data, technology, etc.)
• Technology strategy (applications, data, infrastructure, etc.)
• Changes to organizational policies (codes of conduct, use of technology)
• Investments in technology
• Risks associated with technology (ethics of AI, increased cybersecurity risk)
• Impact on talent and the need for additional training and development

Info-Tech Research Group’s AI Trends 2026 Report analyzed how important it is for an organization’s AI strategy to be aligned with it business strategy, and the AI trends to look out for in 2026:

• Foundational AI principles will rewrite organizational DNA
• From copilots to vibe coding: AI will continue to reinvent IT
• Agentic AI will come of age and power the exponential enterprise, increasing in adoption
• Risk management will be the price of admission for AI
• AI sovereignty will become top of mind for regulators

But artificial intelligence is a single technology. Many organizations still have legacy applications and solutions, dated tech infrastructure, and rely on third parties to support daily operations. As a board member, encouraging the adoption of new technologies can drive innovation, but it can also introduce additional risk.

So, should organizations reconsider their need for a dedicated technology committee to provide strategic oversight and governance on all technology related matters? Whether or not a separate technology committee is needed, one thing is for certain; the board will need members who possess the competency and experience to understand these new and emerging technologies, and it will need to regularly review the composition of the board and its associated diversity to ensure that they are ready to embrace adoption of new technologies, and the associated digital transformation.