Chartis Names SAS a Leader in AI Governance Solutions
Chartis Research has officially recognized SAS as a category leader in its RiskTech Quadrant for AI Governance Solutions. This accolade positions SAS among the top-rated vendors in a market that is increasingly scrutinized by regulators and boards alike.
Assessment Overview
The assessment evaluated 28 suppliers as part of a broader study focused on governance, resilience, and compliance technology. Notably, SAS was also named best-in-class for model management and workflow.
Governance Functions in SAS Viya
Chartis highlighted the extensive governance functionalities embedded in SAS Viya, SAS’s data and AI platform. The platform includes controls for both established machine-learning use cases and newer approaches that organizations are increasingly adopting.
According to Michael Versace, Research Director for Governance, Resilience, and Compliance at Chartis, “The SAS Viya platform includes leading governance capabilities that extend classic machine learning, model risk management, explainability, bias detection, privacy protection, and end-to-end monitoring to the broader enterprise AI environment.” This positions SAS to effectively demonstrate AI as a growth strategy for clients and prospects.
Importance of AI Governance
AI governance has surged to the forefront for organizations deploying AI at scale. There is mounting pressure on firms to enhance oversight of models and data, ensuring robust controls around decision-making, monitoring, and accountability.
The discipline of AI governance is expanding beyond traditional compliance departments. Regulated industries such as banking and insurance have long applied formal model risk management practices. These expectations are now being extended to a wider array of AI systems, including large language models and more autonomous “agentic” tools.
SAS frames AI governance as a comprehensive management approach that encompasses oversight, compliance, and consistent operations. This governance model ties directly to transparency and accountability, providing assurances for various internal stakeholders, including boards, employees, regulators, and customers.
Model Management Excellence
Chartis cited model management as a best-in-class area for SAS. Model management typically includes aspects such as model inventory, documentation, performance tracking, and governance sign-offs. It also involves monitoring for drift, which occurs when performance metrics change as real-world data evolves.
Within SAS Viya, lifecycle monitoring identifies drift, automates documentation, and triggers retraining. Chartis also referenced audit trails and interpretability tools, which are critical requirements in regulated financial services.
Workflow Automation
Chartis distinguished workflow as another best-in-class category for SAS. The unified workflows within the SAS platform facilitate the management of AI models and automate governance tasks. These structured pipelines enhance data visibility and enforce necessary checkpoints and compliance gates.
Data Management and Reporting
Data management was another focal point in the assessment. Chartis underscored privacy and protection measures, along with visibility, benchmarking, and mapping capabilities. SAS Data Maker was highlighted as a tool for generating synthetic data, allowing organizations to test models without exposing sensitive information.
Moreover, visualization and dashboarding were emphasized, with Chartis describing auditable reports and traceability dashboards, complemented by explainability tools for “agentic” AI decision-making. The platform also supports human-in-the-loop oversight and regulatory reporting.
Comprehensive Model Coverage
Chartis noted that SAS Viya accommodates traditional machine learning, generative AI, large language models, and “agentic” systems. It provides an enterprise inventory and control environment that extends governance across transparency, accuracy, fairness, and lifecycle tracking.
Future Roadmap
SAS has announced the upcoming launch of SAS AI Navigator, which aims to centralize information regarding models, agents, and use cases, focusing on visibility and control over AI usage. Additionally, SAS AI Governance Manager is designed for highly regulated industries like banking and insurance, incorporating governance and policy controls, model risk management, and model deployment.
This recognition from Chartis adds to SAS’s already impressive accolades across various risk management categories. Notably, SAS was ranked No. 2 overall in the Chartis RiskTech100 2026 ranking and has been named a category leader across multiple quadrants, including asset and liability management and credit risk management.
