CEN Member Chat: PESTEL Framework

In this issue, we have to talk about agentic commerce, given how much it was discussed at NRF this past week. The last time we addressed it was an intro to the topic; this time, we have more in-depth links for you to read. First, my take.

Bad actors are deploying AI to exploit vulnerabilities faster than human defenders can detect them, creating a speed-wisdom paradox: organizations need machine-speed responses but cannot afford to sacrifice human judgment on consequential decisions.

While Davos leaders debate cooperation in contested worlds, corporate Boards face an urgent reality: Advanced Persistent Threats are exploiting hardware vulnerabilities with 15-year systematic campaigns, fragmented AI policies across 50 U.S. states are creating competitive asymmetries that favor unified adversaries, and gray zone conflicts have made your company a target in ways your quarterly risk reports will never detect. For corporate Boards, fiduciary duty now extends into the gray zone, requiring shifts from reactive risk management to proactive strategic foresight that treats cybersecurity, AI governance, and geopolitical risk as inseparable dimensions of corporate strategy. The question is no longer whether your organization will be targeted, but whether your Board understands that traditional governance frameworks are insufficient when facing adaptive, intelligent adversaries in rapidly changing environments.