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AI Governance, Guardrails, and Risk - Live at Transform 2026
About this episode
Transcript
About this episode
In this special live episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, recorded on the floor at Transform 2026 in Las Vegas, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Shawn McIntire, General Counsel at Pebl, for a quick but packed conversation about what AI governance actually looks like in practice at a global EOR company.
Pebl provides employment outsourcing solutions that allow companies to hire talent internationally without a legal entity in-country, giving businesses a faster path to global expansion. As General Counsel, Shawn has had to think carefully about how AI fits into the company's existing risk framework and how to build a culture where employees feel comfortable experimenting without flying blind.
They get into why GDPR is the right lens for thinking about AI governance, why keeping your policy short and jargon-free matters more than covering every edge case, and where HR teams are most exposed to AI-related liability today. Shawn also makes the case that the answer to "should AI be used for this?" is almost never no, and explains why every employee should be thinking about how to work themselves out of their current job.
A candid, grounded conversation straight from one of HR's biggest stages.
Topics Discussed:
Why GDPR is a useful framework for thinking through AI governance
Fitting AI risk into your company's existing risk profile, not the other way around
Keeping AI policy short, simple, and actually usable
Where HR teams face the most AI liability risk today (hint: hiring)
How bias gets amplified when AI is making decisions at scale
The case for always iterating and never putting a lid on AI exploration
Additional Resources:
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About the guest
Shawn McIntire
Shawn McIntire is the General Counsel at Pebl, an HR tech company building infrastructure for the future of global work. He oversees all aspects of Pebl's legal affairs, bringing broad expertise in international employment, data privacy, business, and tax law. Before joining Pebl, Shawn worked at a large national law firm representing high-growth companies, and he continues to serve on the board of several former clients.
Shawn leads a global legal team that gathers in person twice a year from locations around the world, an experience that has deepened his belief in the value of diverse perspectives for solving hard problems. Outside of work, you'll find him fly fishing, on the golf course, or somewhere new with a passport in hand. He's visited every continent except Antarctica and has made it his goal to fill every page before it expires.
Shawn McIntire is the General Counsel at Pebl, an HR tech company building infrastructure for the future of global work. He oversees all aspects of Pebl's legal affairs, bringing broad expertise in international employment, data privacy, business, and tax law. Before joining Pebl, Shawn worked at a large national law firm representing high-growth companies, and he continues to serve on the board of several former clients.
Shawn leads a global legal team that gathers in person twice a year from locations around the world, an experience that has deepened his belief in the value of diverse perspectives for solving hard problems. Outside of work, you'll find him fly fishing, on the golf course, or somewhere new with a passport in hand. He's visited every continent except Antarctica and has made it his goal to fill every page before it expires.
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The leading podcast for the future of HR
The future of HR is being shaped by real operators doing the work.
If you’ve led change, navigated challenges, or learned valuable lessons in people operations, we’d love to hear your perspective.
Apply below to be considered as a guest on the show.
The future of HR is being shaped by real operators doing the work.
If you’ve led change, navigated challenges, or learned valuable lessons in people operations, we’d love to hear your perspective.
Apply below to be considered as a guest on the show.