AI Governance Researcher

Bridging AI Capability and Governance.

Quinn JK Banks is closing the "Guardrail Gap" by developing adaptive governance frameworks that evolve in tandem with the systems they govern.

Read SSRN Paper Connect

The Guardrail Gap Research

Current governance frameworks assess systems at deployment but often fail to adapt as AI capabilities evolve post-deployment. This research closes that gap by pairing capability control — bounding what a system can do — with motivation control — shaping what it seeks to do — developed across three components:

Three-Tier AI Autonomy Framework

A conceptual model for categorizing and managing autonomy levels in dynamic enterprise AI environments, aligning guardrails with changing system capabilities.

Laws of AI Governance

A relational foundation for AI alignment that shapes what a system is motivated to do, not only what it is permitted to do. Reframing Asimov’s Laws around mutual development and governance integrity, it supplies the motivation-control layer that hard capability limits leave unaddressed.

Manabi Platform

A research laboratory and experimental platform for testing and iterating on adaptive AI governance solutions, including internal controls and policy prototypes.

Publications & Work

Working Paper | 2025

The Guardrail Gap: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Governance Failures in Evolving AI Systems

SSRN Preprint (January 2025)

Read on SSRN →

Future Research

External AI Governance is Not Enough. A New Solution is Needed.

Executive Leadership Meets Academic Rigor

Quinn is a seasoned technology executive with a robust track record of leading innovation across high-profile companies, including Ring/Amazon, Farmers Insurance, and Procore.

Currently, the Director of Risk & Cybersecurity Services at TCS and an Executive DBA Student at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, he leverages 20+ years of leadership to solve complex business challenges through technological excellence and responsible AI governance.

Current Role Director, Risk & Cybersecurity Services, TCS

Education Executive DBA Student, Pepperdine Graziadio

Advisory Banner Life Insurance Company

Expertise AI Governance, Cybersecurity, Extended Reality (XR)