Are boards preparing to fight the last war?

In the 1930s, France built the Maginot Line. This was a series of fortifications—fortresses, weapons, and various obstacles to invasion—that was more than 200 miles long. The Line was built for a world of static warfare, for a world of entrenched positions and slow, drawn-out military engagements. It was in many ways a magnificent achievement and would have been of extraordinary military value—in World War I. The problem, of course, was that World War I was over a decade prior. In May 1940, Germany’s blitzkrieg (“lightning war”) didn’t try to break through the Line. It simply went around it. The Germans launched their attack on May 10 and broke through the French lines within five days. Generals are always preparing to fight the last war—and we may be seeing this play out in AI governance too. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/creator-faisalhoque.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/faisal-hoque.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"Ready to thrive at the intersection of business, technology, and humani…

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