GRC for AI Builders

GRC Data & AI Summit 2026

Panel · Grace Beason, Director of GRC, Guidewire · Payam Tarverdyan Chychi, Distinguished Security Architect, Expedia Group · Aidan Collins, Senior Director of Sales, Anecdotes 

AI did not make building cheaper. It lowered the barrier just enough that every executive now asks "why can't we just build it ourselves?" before approving a purchase, and that question has changed how GRC teams evaluate technology. Grace Beason and Payam Tarverdyan Chychi live that decision. Grace challenged her team to build their own agents inside the tools they already run, and is deliberate about what she will not replace: "I don't want a team of software developers. I want a team of GRC experts." Payam walks through why the first 70% of a build feels great and the last 30% is where sustainability, maintenance, and shifting requirements come due. Both land in the same place. Buy the foundation, build the edge, and be honest about the upkeep bill.

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What you'll take away

• Why "why can't we just build it ourselves" now comes up before almost every purchase approval
• The 70/30 problem: where a build stops feeling great and starts costing, and what lives in that last 30%
• How Grace uses AI to build on top of the platforms she keeps, rather than to replace them
• The questions Payam puts to leadership before landing on build, including who maintains it and who evolves it
• What to weigh that is easy to forget: regulatory change, orchestration, and keeping pace with what vendors ship

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