Key takeaways:
- AEO leaders are starting with existing controls instead of building parallel processes. The strongest governance examples were AEO considerations baked into compliance review, data governance, content intake, and search/content standards already in place.
- Prompt libraries and content intake forms are emerging as practical governance tools. A curated prompt library gives teams a standardized visibility check; a content intake form drives alignment on the publication’s goals before an item is written. Both are cheaper than a COE and easier to maintain.
- Some of our members are waiting to formalize a COE until the work is clearer. Several members cautioned that a Center of Excellence can come too early. Their advice was to test first, learn what the work requires, and then decide whether a formal structure is needed. Their reasoning was that governance built on top of real work survives — governance built on projected work doesn’t.
“Governance is one of the easiest parts of AEO to over-engineer too early. The strongest examples in the room weren’t centers of excellence or net-new control frameworks. They were existing review, compliance, and content standards being adapted to absorb AEO work. The practical lesson: start with real projects, learn where the gaps are, and build governance around what teams actually need to manage.” — Will White, Senior Membership Director for the AEO Board
During our inaugural AEO Board Founder Summit, our members shared insights on building AEO governance, starting with real projects, learning where the gaps are, and building around what teams actually need to manage. Here are their top takeaways for effective AEO governance.
When AEO Governance Is Most Effective
Our members described AEO governance less as a new committee or standalone control layer, and more as an extension of processes many teams already have. One regulated-industry member described baking AEO considerations into existing compliance review. A healthcare member brought an AI Ethics Committee into AEO education because the work touched data governance. Another member described using audits and prompt libraries to begin defining what needed attention.
The common theme: start with the controls, standards, and review processes already in place, then let real projects show where new governance is needed.
“A [Center of Excellence] can come too early. You have to test first to even know what your COE should look like.”
Establish Practical AEO Governance Before Formal Structures
Members named a few practical governance moves that were already paying off. The first was the prompt library — a curated set of brand-relevant queries members can rerun across LLMs to track visibility and identify gaps.
Some members are starting with vendor-provided libraries from tools like Profound or BrightEdge, then adapting them for their own brands.
The second was the content intake form — a structured request process that asks teams what business goal the content is meant to support, where they want visibility, and why the content should exist before it gets published. This has helped prevent reflexive blog production.
The third was foundational search strategy work — defining who in the organization is a contributor (Content, IT) versus a receiver (Communications) of AEO insight and giving each group a different governance lane.
Several members cautioned against formalizing too early. Their view: test first, learn what the work actually requires, and then decide whether a formal Center of Excellence or new governance layer is needed.
The deeper governance question — who’s accountable when AI surfaces inaccuracies that may negatively affect the company brand — remains open. Several members are pulling legal, regulatory, and compliance partners into the conversation early, especially in regulated fields like healthcare, pharma, and financial services. But formal accountability is still a gap.
About the AEO Board and Assemble
The AEO Board is an Assemble community, which helps senior leaders at enterprise companies make better, faster decisions through trusted peer insights. We selectively share highlights from confidential member conversations like this one to help leaders understand how peers are navigating fast-moving, high-stakes moments.
If you’d like to learn more about the conversations happening inside the AEO Board, or how members engage with peers during moments of uncertainty, please contact us.
About the Author — Aman Kidwai, Contributing Editor
Aman Kidwai is a freelance journalist and writer who has covered the labor market, corporate boards, ESG, and HR strategy in staff reporting roles at Newsweek, Fortune, Morning Brew, and Business Insider. He completed an MBA from Georgetown University in 2023 and previously worked in data product management and strategy consulting, most recently at Gartner.
