In this BSA series – “AI@Work” – enterprise software leaders explain in their own words how artificial intelligence (AI) is having a positive impact on people’s jobs and the workforce. In this submission, BSA Board Member and Box Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary David Leeb writes about how Box is encouraging its teams to use AI and how to access the far reaches of your company’s data to increase efficiency and improve workflows.
What is your AI@Work?
AI is changing every aspect of business. AI agents are now part of the workforce, and that means almost any workflow can be automated. Because of this, both customers and employees expect better, more intelligent experiences. And maintaining governance over sensitive information is more critical than ever.
At the heart of this new innovation is content: think of the sales contracts that close deals, the marketing collateral that tells a brand’s story, the clinical trial data that leads to the development of medical breakthroughs, or the offer letters that bring exceptional talent on board. This gold mine of content makes up 90 percent of an organization’s data, and the amount of it is growing every day. But it’s massively underutilized. This is where Box comes in. Our Intelligent Content Management platform makes it possible to glean valuable insights from all your data with a unified, AI-powered approach to managing, securing, and collaborating on your content. Box helps users uncover critical insights within their content, automate workflows with agentic AI, and protect their valuable content at scale. That’s the power of Content + AI.
Who are some of the people who benefit from using AI@Work?
Any enterprise or organization with high volumes of content can benefit from using AI@Work (aka likely everyone). In a recent Box survey on the State of AI in the Enterprise, we found organizations that achieve high productivity and ROI are committed to integrating AI-first business processes. Specifically, companies that consider themselves on the leading edge of AI adoption are already seeing 37 percent productivity improvements from AI. These companies harness AI@Work not just as a tool, but as a strategic asset — a competitive advantage — that drives innovation, streamlines operations, and enhances decision-making. And we believe AI is poised to make these transformations at any organization.
How will AI@Work change how people do their jobs, and how should we prepare?
There is no doubt that AI is transforming how people work by expanding what businesses can do. Large companies have long had specialized teams to solve complex problems, while smaller businesses lacked these resources. Now, AI gives smaller organizations affordable access to skills like engineering, marketing, and G&A support, helping them grow faster and operate more fully.
For enterprises adopting AI, the focus goes well beyond cutting costs. AI accelerates work that was once too slow or expensive—like coding, contract reviews, lead generation, and customer onboarding. This opens new revenue opportunities and accelerates innovation. And, as smaller companies grow with AI’s help, they create new jobs and opportunities in the market. By making intelligence more accessible and easier to use, AI unlocks greater potential for all types of businesses.
Ultimately, every organization should be encouraging and training their employees to adopt an AI-first mindset.
What internal capabilities do people or companies need to harness the power of AI for their organization?
As AI adoption accelerates, organizations are increasingly focused on the security and governance implications of these powerful technologies (and rightfully so). The sensitive nature of the data processed by AI systems and the potential consequences of algorithmic decisions are elevating these concerns to board-level priorities. Box’s State of AI in the Enterprise survey also highlights several dominant concerns that are shaping organizational approaches to AI implementation in the AI-first era.
Data privacy and security stand out as the primary consideration, cited by 74 percent of respondents as their top concern. Similarly, when asked about the most important considerations when choosing an AI platform for content and unstructured data, data security and compliance was the top choice cited by 73 percent of respondents.
Despite these widespread concerns, formal governance frameworks remain underdeveloped in most organizations. Only 24 percent of respondents reported having established or advanced formal governance frameworks with consistent policies across their AI initiatives, while 42percent have implemented partial frameworks that cover some but not all aspects of AI governance.
Box has implemented a comprehensive set of AI Principles and an AI Governance Program that emphasizes ethical, transparent, and secure AI deployment. Establishing AI governance in your enterprise includes setting policies, procedures, documentation, and technical measures that will establish guardrails on how and when to use AI in a way that minimizes potential risks and maximizes intended benefits. All companies should consider similar initiatives as we look to a continue to harness the power of AI in our daily work.
How has AI impacted the way you work with your team over the past year? This is a chance to speak to how the rise in attention toward AI has affected your team’s work.
At Box we’re bullish on why AI is such a game-changer and encourage all employees to find ways to be more creative and efficient with AI. To encourage my Legal, Governance, Risk and Compliance teams to explore how AI can help us in our day-to-day jobs, we held a Box AI Challenge where we developed and shared the most creative ways we’re using Box AI to 10X our impact.
The team came up with some very creative uses for Box AI, including:
- A Supplier Trust AI Agent that leverages Box AI capabilities to automate and enhance Third-Party Risk Management by thoroughly reviewing vendor due diligence documents. This agent specializes in assessing compliance, security, and operational risks through evidence-based analysis, providing actionable insights that improve efficiency, accuracy, and regulatory adherence.
- A Legal Agreement Hub that leverages Box AI capabilities to quickly find and compare key negotiated provisions across contracts, addressing common pain points like tracking custom terms and understanding industry standards for clauses such as limitation of liability and audit rights.
- A Research and Drafting AI agent that reviews inbound correspondence, assesses and analyzes the subject matter, then prepares an initial reply for Box’s Legal team to review, edit and finalize.
With the appropriate guardrails and procedures in place – Legal and GRC teams are ripe for transformation and can reap many benefits from integrating AI into daily work.
Concluding Question: What are some key takeaways for leaders using or planning to use AI@Work?
AI@Work at Box is transforming businesses by automating workflows, unlocking valuable insights from vast amounts of content, and enhancing productivity across organizations of all sizes. By integrating AI as a strategic asset rather than just a tool, companies can drive innovation, streamline operations, and create new opportunities for growth while expanding the capabilities of their workforce. However, successful adoption requires a strong focus on data security, privacy, and ethical governance to manage risks responsibly. With thoughtful implementation and an AI-first mindset supported by clear policies and training, organizations can harness the full potential of AI to empower employees, improve decision-making, and maintain competitive advantage in an evolving digital landscape.
About the author:
Box Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary David Leeb brings a wealth of experience to the role of General Counsel, with prior leadership positions on legal teams at Electronic Arts Inc. and Silver Spring Networks, Inc. Earlier in his career, David worked in the Division of Corporation Finance at the US Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as at law firms in Washington, DC, and Silicon Valley.