Topic: Information Governance and AI

Presentation Summary: 

This session explores why Information Governance has become an important foundation for AI, cybersecurity, and digital transformation. As organizations move quickly to adopt AI, many are finding that the information itself is often the bigger challenge. If you do not know what information you have, where it is, whether it is accurate, or how long it should be kept, it becomes difficult to use that information effectively. Drawing on more than three decades of experience in Information Governance and records management, Kurt Thies will discuss what organizations need to do to get their information in order. This includes understanding what information exists, identifying what has value, eliminating redundant, obsolete, and trivial information, applying practical retention and classification, and putting governance processes in place that can be sustained over time.

The presentation looks at how traditional records management is evolving into a broader Information Governance discipline, and why good governance is becoming even more important as organizations introduce AI into the way they work.

About the Speaker: 

Kurt Thies is a recognized Information Governance strategist with more than 30 years of experience helping organizations modernize how they manage, govern, retain, and protect their information. Today, Kurt leads Information Governance strategy at Morae, working with organizations across the public and private sectors to address complex challenges involving records management, data governance, AI readiness, regulatory compliance, and information lifecycle management.

An entrepreneur as well as an industry practitioner, Kurt founded and served as CEO of Accutrac Software, a pioneering records management technology company later acquired by Iron Mountain. Throughout his career, he has worked at the intersection of technology, business strategy, and information governance, helping organizations transform long-established practices for an increasingly digital and AI-driven world. Kurt is a frequent industry speaker known for bringing a practical, real-world perspective to the future of Information Governance.