Governance Frameworks

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AI Governance Initiative Cites Scott M. Graffius Research on AI Hallucinations

05 June 2026

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com

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The Problem That Won't Go Away

Organizations deploying generative AI encounter the jarring problem of incorrect outputs. Not vague, not incomplete — wrong. A fabricated citation. A materially misquoted regulation. A fictitious financial figure. These are AI hallucinations — one of the most persistent and consequential issues in modern AI.

AI hallucinations can cause reputational harm, erosion of trust, and other serious consequences for organizations. For publicly traded companies and those in regulated industries — such as healthcare, finance, government — the risks also include compliance breaches.

Research That's Driving the Governance Conversation

That is why the question Scott M. Graffius set out to answer matters so much.

Graffius helps organizations unlock breakthrough performance and generate billions in business value through leadership in AI, Agile, and project, program, portfolio, and enterprise PMO management. He is a highly cited authority across those areas, which includes AI, the "exotic team dynamics" that emerge when advanced artificial intelligence collaborates as a teammate, and more.

One question has garnered significant attention:

Are AI hallucinations improving or worsening?

Graffius' article, "Are AI Hallucinations Getting Better or Worse? We Analyzed the Data," takes a rigorous, objective, evidence-based look at hallucination rates and trends. It moves beyond anecdotes and assumptions to examine what the data show.

The answer, it turns out, is more nuanced than optimists or skeptics tend to acknowledge. And that nuance — that hallucinations are declining on constrained, grounded tasks while surging on complex reasoning and open-ended factual recall — is exactly what has made the research valuable to governance practitioners endeavoring to establish reliable AI solutions.

Graffius' respective work has since been cited across multiple publications. Select examples follow. The References section of this article provides details, including links to each publication.

Agenda Digitale.
AIUnpacking.
BuzzStream.
COMPAiSS. (Two publications.)
Cottrill Research.
FlowEdge.
Grokipedia.
Laughman AI.
LoudScale.
LSS4Managers.
Mental Momentum AI.
Perplexity.
Scintilena.
Swizero.
And more.

The list includes two publications from the Canadian AI governance initiative, COMPAiSS.

COMPAiSS: Building the Case for Governed AI

COMPAiSS is an AI governance initiative built specifically for environments where errors carry real consequences. Its focus areas — higher education, healthcare, government, and professional organizations — share a common thread: the cost of an AI mistake is not just inconvenient, it is potentially harmful, liable, or irreversible.

Its framework rests on the premise that AI systems deployed in regulated settings must prioritize controlled, auditable behavior over unconstrained generation. Where most AI discourse centers on capability (what the model can do), COMPAiSS redirects attention to accountability (what the model should do), and what happens when it doesn't.

That means a strong emphasis on reliability, traceability, bounded outputs, and clear accountability in AI-assisted decision-making. It is a framework designed not for experimentation, but for institutional deployment where predictability is non-negotiable.

Among its published work is "Hallucinations by Design: A Cross-Model Assessment of How Major AI Consulting Firms Advise Clients to Manage Generative AI Errors," which analyzes how major organizations — including Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, and Microsoft — approach hallucination mitigation in practice. Graffius' research on hallucination trends serves as a cited foundation in that analysis, grounding its findings in independent, empirical data. A companion publication, "Breaking Out of the Matrix," extends that work into the governance constraints of AI systems and the risks posed by unconstrained generative models in institutional settings — and draws on Graffius' work there as well.

Together, these publications reflect COMPAiSS' conviction that controlled inference and auditability are not optional features — they are prerequisites for responsible AI in high-stakes environments.

Why Independent Research Shapes Governance Frameworks

Governance frameworks do not emerge from a vacuum. They are built on evidence: on empirical research that documents the actual performance of AI systems, including where they fail, and how those failures change over time. Independent researchers who investigate these questions provide the kind of foundational insight that institutional frameworks need to be credible. That is the gap that work like Graffius' helps fill.

Conclusion: Getting AI Right Requires More Than Getting It Working

The conversation around AI hallucinations is ongoing and intensifying as deployments deepen and the margin for error narrows. What's becoming clear is that responsible AI adoption requires more than technical capability. It requires governance infrastructure, accountability mechanisms, and a shared body of research to draw from.

This also points to a broader shift underway in enterprise AI: away from unconstrained generative models deployed on enthusiasm, and toward governed, auditable systems built for institutional accountability. The organizations leading that shift are not simply adopting AI — they are architecting the conditions under which AI can be trusted, drawing on the collective work of researchers, practitioners, and governance architects. The inclusion of Graffius' research in COMPAiSS reflects that broader effort to build AI systems that organizations can trust.

AI's promise gets it in the door. Quality, reliability, and governance are what keep it there.

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References

Agenda Digitale. (2026, May 6). L’AI può aiutare a studiare, ma solo se insegna a ragionare. https://www.agendadigitale.eu/scuola-digitale/lai-puo-aiutare-a-studiare-ma-solo-se-insegna-a-ragionare/
AIUnpacking. (2026, April 15). How to Avoid AI Hallucinations: A Practical 2026 Checklist. https://aiunpacking.com/blog/how-to-avoid-ai-hallucinations/
BuzzStream. (2026, April 8). Do Americans Use AI for News? https://www.buzzstream.com/blog/ai-news-usage/
COMPAiSS. (n.d.). Hallucination rates [PDF]. https://compaiss.ca/assets/hallucination_rates-fr.pdf
COMPAiSS. (2026, May). Breaking out of the matrix (Version 3.2) [PDF]. https://compaiss.ca/assets/breaking_out_of_the_matrix_v3_2.pdf
Cottrill Research. (n.d.). AI Hallucination Benchmark Resources Added to Index Collection. https://cottrillresearch.com/ai-hallucination-benchmark-resources-added-to-index-collection/
FlowEdge. (2026, March 13). AI Tools: ChatGPT Limitations as an AI Proposal Writer. https://getflowedge.com/ai-tools/chatgpt-limitations-as-an-ai-proposal-writer/
Graffius, S. M. (2025, June 17). PMI’s Infinity AI Gets the Basics of Team Development Alarmingly and Repeatedly Wrong. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.32957.93927
Graffius, S. M. (2026, January 7). Are AI Hallucinations Getting Better or Worse? We Analyzed the Data. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.33179.53285 [COMPAiSS lists it in French as: Graffius S.M. (2026). Les hallucinations de l'IA s'améliorent-elles ou s'aggravent-elles? Nous avons analysé les données. DOI : 10.13140/RG.2.2.33179.53285.]
Grokipedia. (n.d.). ChatGPT. https://grokipedia.com/page/ChatGPT
Ha, D. (2026, May 2). AI Hallucinations Risk in LLM Lifecycle [LinkedIn post]. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dannyhaprofile_aihallucinations-aigovernance-llmrisk-activity-7456485913309810688-bfcI/
Laughman AI. (2026, May 16). 知能のブリーダー：人間とAIの存在論的境界、そして自律進化するデジタル生態系の夜明け. https://note.com/betaitohuman/n/n32c36b9890c2
LoudScale. (2026, February 15). How to Fact-Check AI Content Before Publishing (2026). https://loudscale.com/blog/fact-check-ai-content-before-publishing/
LSS4Managers. (2026, February 27). How to Detect AI Hallucinations? A Way to Deal with Fake Data! https://lss4managers.com/jak-wykryc-halucynacje-ai-sposob-na-falszywe-dane/
Mental Momentum AI. (n.d.). How Could AI Change Scientific Discovery? 5 Scenarios. https://research.mental-momentum.ai/r/how-ai-could-change-scientific-discovery-rh80aj
Perplexity. (2026, February 12). Study Finds Celebrated AI Model Guesses Answers, Lacks Cognition. Perplexity AI stand-alone article. https://www.perplexity.ai/page/experts-say-ai-lacks-true-huma-JfKEeQvcRhCddq0tgTAiMw
Scintilena. (2026, May 1). Perché le AI Generative Falliscono in Geografia: Errori di Localizzazione, Prossimità e Allucinazioni. https://www.scintilena.com/perche-le-ai-generative-falliscono-in-geografia-errori-di-localizzazione-prossimita-e-allucinazioni/05/01/
Swizero. (2026, March 28). Your AI Email Assistant Saves 40% But 77% Feel Busier. https://www.swizero.com/blog/how-ai-email-assistants-actually-work
Walczak, T. (2026, February 26). Jak Wykryć Halucynacje AI? Sposób na Fałszywe Dane! [LinkedIn post]. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/jak-wykry%C4%87-halucynacje-ai-spos%C3%B3b-na-fa%C5%82szywe-dane-walczak--ynluf/

About COMPAiSS

COMPAiSS is a Canada-based AI governance initiative focused on institutional environments where accuracy, accountability, and policy fidelity are non-negotiable. Rather than treating AI as a general-purpose generative system, COMPAiSS is designed for regulated settings such as universities, healthcare systems, government agencies, and professional bodies, where information must be delivered strictly within authorized institutional boundaries. Its architecture emphasizes execution-gated inference — meaning AI responses are only generated when a question falls within defined scope and when authoritative institutional sources are available to support an answer. In contrast to conventional “generate-then-filter” AI systems, COMPAiSS positions authorization as a prerequisite to inference, aiming to reduce hallucinations by preventing unsupported generation at the source. The initiative’s work is positioned within a broader effort to reframe AI not just as a productivity tool, but as a governed institutional system aligned with compliance, auditability, and operational risk management.

About Scott M. Graffius

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Scott M. Graffius is a strategic transformation leader who drives AI, Agile, and broader business and technology initiatives to deliver measurable value across projects, programs, portfolios, and PMOs. He is an expert in the teamwork tradecraft of both human and human-AI teams, including the “exotic team dynamics” that emerge. He is also an authority on the temporal patterns of social media, including the half-life of audience engagement.

He’s a practitioner, researcher, thought leader, award-winning author, and keynote speaker who’s taken the stage at 98 conferences and other events across 25 countries.

He’s delivered over $2.51 billion in value for Fortune 500 companies and other leaders in technology, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, and beyond.

Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities use Graffius and feature his work. Examples include Adobe, Bayer, Boston University, Ford, Gartner, Harvard Medical School, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, MSN, National Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Pinterest Inc., Project Management Institute, UC San Diego, Verizon, Yale University, and others.

The following sections provide additional information on his experience, contributions, and influence.

Experience

Graffius heads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded expertise, and consulting services to the public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™.

Graffius is a former VP of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment, and more.

He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.

Award-Winning Author

Graffius has authored three books.

Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions, his first book, earned 17 awards.
Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change, his second book, was named one of the best Scrum books of all time by BookAuthority.
Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum, his third book and his first work of fiction, was released in April 2025. The book trailer is on YouTube.

International Public Speaker

Organizations worldwide engage Graffius to present on tech (including AI), Agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership. He crafts and delivers unique and compelling talks and workshops. Graffius has conducted 97 sessions across 25 countries. Select examples of events include Agile Trends Gov, BSides (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Conf42 Quantum Computing, DevDays Europe, DevOps Institute, DevOpsDays (Geneva), Frug’Agile, IEEE, Microsoft, Scottish Summit, Scrum Alliance RSG (Nepal), Techstars, and W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference (Helsinki), and more.

With an average rating of 4.81 (on a scale of 1-5), sessions are highly valued.

The speaker engagement request form is here.

Thought Leadership and Influence

Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have showcased Graffius and his contributions—spanning his books, talks, workshops, and beyond. Select examples include:

Adobe,
American Management Association,
Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
Bayer,
BMC Software,
Boston University,
Broadcom,
Cisco,
Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Germany,
Computer Weekly,
Constructor University - Germany,
Data Governance Success,
Deimos Aerospace,
DevOps Institute,
Dropbox,
EU's European Commission,
Ford Motor Company,
Gartner,
GoDaddy,
Harvard Medical School,
Hasso Plattner Institute - Germany,
IEEE,
Innovation Project Management,
Johns Hopkins University,
Journal of Neurosurgery,
Lam Research (Semiconductors),
Leadership Worthy,
Life Sciences Trainers and Educators Network,
London South Bank University,
Microsoft,
MSN,
NASSCOM,
National Academy of Sciences,
New Zealand Government,
Oracle,
Pinterest Inc.,
Project Management Institute,
Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College),
SANS Institute,
SBG Neumark - Germany,
Singapore Institute of Technology,
Torrens University - Australia,
TBS Switzerland,
Tufts University,
UC San Diego,
UK Sports Institute,
University of Galway - Ireland,
US Department of Energy,
US National Park Service,
US Soccer,
US Tennis Association,
Verizon,
Wrike,
Yale University,
and many others.

Graffius has played a key role in the Project Management Institute (PMI) in developing professional standards. He was a member of multiple teams that authored, reviewed, and produced:

Agile Practice Guide – Second Edition
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Eighth Edition
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Sixth Edition
The Standard for Program Management – Fourth Edition
Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures – Second Edition
The Practice Standard for Project Estimating – Second Edition

He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.

Acclaimed Authority on Teamwork Tradecraft

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Graffius is a renowned authority on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 150 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development. First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams. Its adoption by esteemed organizations such as Yale University, IEEE, Cisco, Microsoft, Ford, Oracle, Broadcom, the U.S. National Park Service, and the Journal of Neurosurgery, among others, highlights its utility and value, solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence. In 2026, Graffius added human-AI teamwork—including the "exotic team dynamics" which emerge when advanced AI collaborates as a teammate—to his "Phases of Team Development."

The 2026 edition of Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property is here.

Expert on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms

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Graffius is also an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms. His "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research—first published in 2018 and updated annually—delivers a precise quantitative analysis of post longevity across digital platforms, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to determine mean half-life with precision. It establishes a solid empirical base, effectively highlighting the ephemeral nature of content within social media ecosystems. Referenced and applied by leading entities—such as Fast Company, GoDaddy, Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume), Ministère de la Culture (French Ministry of Culture), Pinterest Inc., PNAS, and Telecommunications Policy, among others—his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2026 edition of Graffius "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research is here.

Education and Professional Certifications

Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:

Certified SAFe 6 Agilist (SA),
Certified Scrum Professional - ScrumMaster (CSP-SM),
Certified Scrum Professional - Product Owner (CSP-PO),
Certified ScrumMaster (CSM),
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO),
Project Management Professional (PMP),
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB), and
IT Service Management Foundation (ITIL).

He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Advancing AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management

Scott M. Graffius continues to advance the fields of AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management through his leadership, research, writing, and real-world impact. Businesses and other organizations leverage Graffius’ insights to drive their success.

Discover Scott’s Books

Connect with and follow Scott on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, and ResearchGate.

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List of Additional Articles

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How to Cite This Article

Graffius, S. M. (2026, June 5). AI Governance Initiative Cites Scott M. Graffius Research on AI Hallucinations. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/ai-governance-initiative-uses-graffius-research.html

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Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

Coming soon

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Content Acknowledgements

Names, marks, and content are the property of their respective owners.

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#Agile
#AI
#AIGovernance
#AIHallucinations
#AIReliability
#AISafety
#ArtificialIntelligence
#Auditability
#COMPAiSS
#Compliance
#DigitalTransformation
#EmergingTech
#EnterpriseAI
#GenerativeAI
#Governance
#LLM
#MachineLearning
#ModelRisk
#PMO
#ProjectManagement
#ResponsibleAI
#RiskManagement
#TechGovernance
#TrustInAI
#TrustworthyAI

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Post-Publication Notes

If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.

Copyright

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Tags: Agile • AI • AI Governance • AI Hallucinations • AI Reliability • COMPAiSS • Enterprise AI • Generative AI • Responsible AI • Scott M. Graffius • Technology • Do AI Hallucinations Improve or Worsen Over Time? We Analyzed the Data • Project Management • Machine Learning • Institutional Accountability • Governance Frameworks