How do we unlock AI’s potential while safeguarding our brands from the risks of errors and reputational harm? That was the theme of discussion at the Executive Roundtable on Governance in the Age of AI: Implications for the Modern Marketing Executive.
This event, hosted by the University of Pittsburgh School of Business Center for Branding on April 6, 2026, brought together academics and marketing leaders from healthcare, financial services, consulting, technology, non-profit and other industries to discuss the issues facing marketing and branding executives who are integrating AI into their workflows.
The discussion started with Associate Dean for Research and Strategic Initiatives, Vanitha Swaminathan sharing her framework of ‘agentic branding’ from her book, “Hyper-Digital Marketing: Six Pillars of Strategic Brand Marketing in an AI-Powered World” with the attendees.
“The traditional brand management with command and control is no longer true. It’s no longer the reality of what we have dealt with,” says Swaminathan. “I hope this group will facilitate thought leadership around how we actually bring about brand governance at the organizational level, so that you can walk into your CEO’s office or CTO’s office and have that discussion in a way that is productive.”
The Six Pillars of Governance
Attendees received a copy of her book before the roundtable, so they could use that as a starting point for the discussion. Swaminathan explained how marketing is no longer a static asset, but rather a distributed human-AI ecosystem where multiple ‘agents’ now act on behalf of the brand.
To regain control of their brand in this new environment where governing brand ecosystems is increasingly shaped by AI agents, influencers, algorithms and partners operating with limited oversight, she told the executives the need to focus on six pillars: purpose, systems, personalization, platforms, participation and partnerships.
One of the executives in attendance gave an example of the personalization pillar. He reviewed how his company is using AI and machine learning to move to what he calls ‘precision marketing,’ which involves tailoring messages to consumers, so they receive content based on their unique needs. Thanks to AI, companies can move beyond buying broad demographics for media purchases and create this personalized messaging.
Need for AI Governance
While these marketing leaders are in various stages of AI adoption, they all agreed that they have moved beyond experimentation.
The discussion covered many topics including using AI tools to transform workflows, the tension between AI’s speed and the slow human approval process and the importance of embedding legal and compliance partners early. The need for marketing teams to create AI governance was echoed by many in the room.
The beauty of meeting with other executives in this type of setting is learning from each other and walking away with action items. The Vice President of Marketing AI Strategy and Enablement at BNY, Anna Rohac, left with a goal to create a governance framework.
“I think so much of the discussion today was about how do we have that governance for our brand integrity. So that’s something that I want to take back and really document what we’re comfortable using AI for and what AI should not be used for.”
The Future of AI and Marketing
“I think it’s important for Pitt Business to bring businesses together on this topic because academics and executives need to come together. This is an inflection point for AI and marketing”, says the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Highmark Health, Craig Riner.
“Anyone with great thinking and the ability to prompt and have a conversation with AI agents can do things they could never do before; at the skill they could never do before. Our ability to unlock potential, unlock scale and efficiency is profound,” says Riner.
Another roundtable on AI and Marketing Transformation in the Workplace is planned for the fall. If your organization is wrestling with the challenges of Agentic Brand Governance and would like to learn more about our newly developed AI Brand Governance Council, please reach out to the Center for Branding at brandingcenter@pitt.edu