Bedford Group/TRANSEARCH Releases Interim Report on Board and Executive Compensation for the AI Industry

TORONTO, Sept. 10, 2026 /CNW/ -- Bedford Group/TRANSEARCH has released its first Interim Report on Board and Executive Compensation in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Industry, providing a snapshot of compensation and governance practices across 116 publicly traded artificial intelligence companies.

Bedford Group/TRANSEARCH Releases Interim Report on Board and Executive Compensation for the AI Industry

The analysis draws on compensation disclosures covering more than 500 Named Executive Officers and 800 directors, using fiscal 2024 compensation data reported in 2025. The interim findings provide an early view of compensation practices across the sector ahead of Bedford's fuller year-over-year analysis planned for Q4 2026.

"This snapshot makes one thing clear: in the AI sector, how you structure compensation matters as much as how much you pay," said Amrit Sandhu, Client Partner – AI, Cleantech & the Built World at Bedford Group/TRANSEARCH. "Equity is a defining feature of AI compensation, from the C-suite to the boardroom, and that reflects how directly AI companies are competing for the leadership talent this industry needs to scale."

Key Highlights from the Interim Report (USD):

Executive Compensation Rises with Company Size

• Median total compensation ranged from $989,677 at companies with market capitalizations below $75 million to $3.8 million at companies valued between $700 million and $2 billion.
• 71% of CEOs received an annual incentive payment and 57% received equity compensation.
• Equity is an important component of executive compensation in the AI sector, particularly as companies grow and compete for senior leadership talent. Its use varies by role and company size, reinforcing the importance of considering organizational scale and individual circumstances when benchmarking.

Board Compensation and Oversight Continue to Evolve

• Equity also features prominently in director compensation, particularly among larger companies. At companies with market capitalizations above US$700 million, equity awards typically represent a significant portion of total board compensation.
• Science & Technology Committees are an emerging board-level oversight function, reflecting the growing importance of technology strategy, innovation, cybersecurity, data governance and AI-related risk within board mandates.

Representation Remains Uneven

• 81% of companies had at least one female director, indicating broad representation at the board level. Executive leadership remains less diverse, however, with women representing 15% of executives across the companies reviewed.

Roughly 150,000 jobs in Canada are tied directly to AI, with more than 3,500 domestic firms actively developing AI models and tools, having raised over C$37 billion in venture capital funding. Adoption remains uneven, however – just 12.2% of Canadian businesses used AI technologies between mid-2024 and mid-2025 – and many firms report difficulty growing operations under the shadow of deep-pocketed American incumbents.

"As Canadian AI companies scale and compete against better-capitalized U.S. peers for leadership talent, compensation strategy is one of the few levers boards can pull to win that competition," Sandhu added.

Rather than pointing to a single compensation model, Bedford's findings demonstrate how pay practices change with company size, role and organizational maturity. The report provides companies, boards and investors with a benchmark for understanding how executive and director compensation is developing across the sector.

Boards and executives can use the Interim Report on Board and Executive Compensation in the AI Industry to benchmark their own compensation programs now, with Bedford's full year-over-year analysis to follow in Q4. With deep expertise in compensation strategy, governance and executive search, Bedford helps organizations align pay with the leadership needs of a fast-moving sector.

Access the report here. | The Bedford Group/TRANSEARCH

About Bedford Group/TRANSEARCH

Bedford Group/TRANSEARCH is one of North America's leading privately held executive search and talent strategy firms, with offices in Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, Vancouver and Boston. Founded in 1980, Bedford Group is the North American partner of TRANSEARCH International and one of the Top 10 largest executive search firms in the world, with 60 offices in 40 countries.

SOURCE Bedford Group/TRANSEARCH

For further information: Amrit Sandhu, Client Partner, [phone] ext. 258, [email protected]