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Doing AI Governance

Doing AI Governance | Landing Your First Job in AI Governance

Published 4 months agoΒ β€’Β 2 min read

A newsletter of practical guidance, tools and resources, for the real work of governing safe, secure and lawful AI.

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Newsletter #49 - December 2025

Feature Article

Landing Your First Job in AI Governance

Most of you reading this aren't 19-year-olds picking a degree. You're mid-career professionals trying to pivot. Here's my story and my advice on how to actually do it.

By James Kavanagh

I watched fire engulf the Piper Alpha oil platform when I was twelve.

167 men died on a remote oil rig off the coast of Scotland. And glued to the television screen at home in Ireland, I was captivated to learn everything I could about why it happened. The story was that it was caused by human error: an operator starting a pump that was still under maintenance. One mistake, 167 lives. But that framing was wrong. A human action may have triggered the disaster, but it was caused by such systemic failures in design, management, and safety culture that catastrophe was nearly inevitable. I read everything I could find about it and decided what I would become.

Latest News

πŸ€– The AI Governance Advent Debate

One of the peculiar joys of the AI governance world is that we sharpen our thinking by debating - fiercely, respectfully, and often for the sheer sport of it. Which is why I've launched the AI Governance Advent Debate: 24 days of deliberately one-sided, provocative theses designed to test our assumptions, stretch our reasoning, and remind us that good governance depends on challenge, not comfort.

Each post offers a bold claim, a well-built steelman, and then hands the microphone to the community to dismantle it, refine it, or flip it entirely. If you enjoy thoughtful debate, jump into the comments and contribute, and if you’re not already following along on LinkedIn, now is an excellent time to join the fray.

Programs and Resources

Explore our growing suite of programs and resources - designed for professionals at every stage of the AI governance journey, from those just getting started to practitioners and board leaders.

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For AI Governance Practitioners

doing the real work of AI governance

The AI Governance Foundation Program

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The AI Governance Director's Brief newsletter

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I hope you continue to enjoy our Doing AI Governance newsletter. If you have any feedback, questions or you're wanting to learn more about forging or advancing a career in AI Governance, please reach out. We're here to help!

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Doing AI Governance

by James Kavanagh and AI Career Pro

Join over 4,500 subscribers and learn about the real work of AI governance. Moving beyond theory, we focus on the practical application of AI governance in real-world organisations with case studies, tools, templates and guidance. Led by James Kavanagh - the AI governance practitioner who led governance at both AWS and Microsoft.

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