New Book Gives Consumer Goods Leaders a Governance Playbook for Generative and Agentic AI
Robin Horstmann's The Governed Enterprise covers the regulatory exposure, approval thresholds, and third-party risk that general AI governance frameworks leave out.
Carthage, N.C. August 4, 2026. An agentic procurement system clears a purchase order no one authorized. By morning the commitment is contractual. That is the kind of problem The Governed Enterprise: An AI Governance Playbook for Consumer Goods is built to prevent. Published today by R&B Carthage Press, it is written specifically for consumer goods, from food and beverage to cosmetics, pet food, and household products, and the compliance issues each one faces.
The gap it addresses is measured. ISACA's 2026 AI Pulse Poll, a survey of more than 3,400 governance, audit, and security professionals, found that 90 percent believe employees are already using AI at work while only 38 percent of organizations have a formal, comprehensive AI policy. Only 12 percent have a documented process for shutting down or overriding an AI system that they test regularly.
General AI governance books explain the frameworks. This one is written for consumer goods and the compliance issues the category actually carries. A copy tool publishes a product claim the regulatory team has not substantiated. An allergen substitution passes an AI quality check it should have failed. The frameworks on the market were built for financial services and general enterprise IT, and they do not answer those questions.
Horstmann wrote the book because no CPG-specific guide existed when she was earning the IAPP's Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional credential.
The book separates the governance of AI that produces content from the governance of AI that takes action, then works through the regulatory exposure specific to consumer goods across the FDA, FTC, and EPA. It covers AI in supply chain and procurement, trade promotion and pricing, customer service, marketing claims, and incident response, along with the board-level and executive structures that hold a program together.
It also takes on the exposure most AI governance books skip. Co-manufacturers, third-party logistics providers, and software vendors run AI on a brand owner's products and data in facilities the brand does not control. When a co-manufacturer's AI quality system misjudges an allergen substitution, it is the brand owner's name on the recall notice and the brand owner's product coming off the shelf. The book covers how FSMA preventive controls, GFSI audit schemes, and FDA, USDA, and FTC requirements apply to generative and agentic AI in a CPG company.
Horstmann brings thirty-plus years across ERP implementation and recovery, enterprise architecture, cybersecurity, warehouse and transportation systems, and manufacturing and industrial control environments, all in multi-channel consumer goods, manufacturing, and distribution. She is currently implementing agentic AI solutions. She holds the PMP (PMI); the CRISC, CISM, CDPSE, and AAISM (ISACA); and the AIGP (IAPP).
The Governed Enterprise publishes August 4, 2026 in ebook, paperback, and hardcover.
"The most practical guide to AI governance currently available for senior leaders in consumer packaged goods companies."
— Readers' Favorite, 5 Stars
"An operating manual for leaders who need to turn AI governance into everyday practice."
— Literary Titan, 5 Stars
"A rigorous, executive-focused guide that belongs on every boardroom bookshelf."
— BookView Review, Recommended (Top Rating)
"Essential reading for leaders navigating AI's growing operational and regulatory risks."
— The Prairies Book Review
Editorial Reviews
Title: The Governed Enterprise: An AI Governance Playbook for Consumer Goods
Author: Robin Horstmann
Publisher: R&B Carthage Press
Publication date: August 4, 2026
Formats and prices: Ebook $12.99; paperback $29.99; hardcover $39.99
ISBNs: Ebook 979-8-9960620-1-0; paperback 979-8-9960620-0-3; hardcover 979-8-9960620-2-7
Library of Congress Control Number: 2026918834
Extent and trim: 470 pages, 6 x 9
Available from Amazon in paperback, hardcover, and ebook. Also from Barnes & Noble.
Book details
Source - ISACA, 2026 AI Pulse Poll, published May 5, 2026. Survey of more than 3,400 digital trust professionals across IT audit, governance, cybersecurity, privacy, and emerging technology roles.
Robin Horstmann
media@rbcarthagepress.com
Robin Horstmann is available for interviews and for participation on AI governance panels. Review copies available on request.