Evidence Base
The Source Trail, Claim Discipline, and Proof Standard Behind the Work.
Every claim Touch Stone makes in its governance briefings, playbooks, and labs is traceable to a named source. This page explains where the source authority comes from, what the claim discipline is, and what the clear boundary is between executive decision support and legal or compliance advice.
Board-level buyers who review this page before making a purchase decision arrive with sharper questions and shorter paths to a decision. That is the intent.
Authority Basis
Glenn E. Daniels II — the source of the work.
Glenn E. Daniels II
Founder, Touch Stone Publishers
Glenn Daniels has spent more than two decades working with boards, executive teams, and organizational leaders on the governance and accountability problems that determine whether organizations outlast the people who built them.
Touch Stone’s AI governance work draws on that foundation and applies it to the specific governance challenge AI creates: decision authority that was not designed for the current operating environment, oversight structures that lag the pace of deployment, and accountability gaps that boards have not yet named.
The Chairman’s Briefing, Role Playbooks, Executive Playbook, and Executive Lab are structured around public governance doctrine. The frameworks are Glenn’s. The source basis is public and cited. The boundary between governance guidance and legal advice is explicit and maintained throughout all deliverables.
Governance Source Basis
Six public doctrine sources. Named and applied throughout every deliverable.
The source basis is public. It can be verified independently before any purchase decision. No Touch Stone deliverable makes a governance claim that cannot be traced to one of the following sources.
Risk Management
NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0)
The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s framework for managing AI-related risk across the full lifecycle. The governing standard for AI risk identification, assessment, and response in the United States.
International Principles
OECD AI Principles
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s foundational principles for trustworthy AI, adopted by 42 countries. The international baseline for responsible AI governance.
Management Systems
ISO/IEC 42001
The international standard for AI management systems. Establishes the requirements an organization must meet to demonstrate governed AI use across its operations.
Regulatory Doctrine
EU AI Act Materials
The European Union’s AI Act establishes risk-based governance requirements that shape international standards regardless of jurisdiction. Applied as a governance reference point for boards operating globally.
Enforcement Precedent
SEC AI-Claim Enforcement
SEC enforcement actions against organizations making unsubstantiated AI capability claims establish the evidentiary standard boards must maintain. Applied throughout Touch Stone’s evidence register guidance.
Oversight Doctrine
Delaware Court of Chancery
Delaware oversight doctrine establishes the duty of care standard for boards governing technology risk. The legal framework that defines what board-level AI oversight must be able to demonstrate.
Claim Discipline
Every material claim in every deliverable is traceable to a named source. No claim from general knowledge alone. No unnamed studies. No “research shows.”
Clear Boundary
Touch Stone’s work is executive decision support. It is not legal advice, a compliance certification, or a promise of liability reduction. That boundary is stated explicitly in every deliverable.
Source Verification
Every source listed here is publicly available and independently verifiable. Buyers are encouraged to read the primary sources before the purchase conversation begins.
The evidence base is public. The source trail is named. The boundary is explicit. That is the standard Touch Stone holds itself to, because it is the same standard it asks boards to hold their AI governance to.
When you have reviewed the source basis and are ready to move forward, the Chairman’s Briefing is the place to start. If you are ready for the full operating model, the Executive Playbook and the Executive Lab are available.