Enterprise customers are asking how AI-generated outputs are governed. The security questionnaire is already on the desk.
Software startups use AI for product documentation, release notes, customer support responses, and internal technical specs. The efficiency gain is real. The governance gap surfaces at the first enterprise sales cycle — the security questionnaire asks how AI-generated customer-facing content is governed, and the answer is usually "we review it manually." SOC 2 auditors are beginning to ask the same question. Open source license compliance for AI-generated code adds a second exposure surface.
What Ontic Does Here
Ontic's Studio governs AI-assisted documentation and content generation with source tracking and version control. The Refinery adds customer-facing governance — support response templates, changelog content, and status page updates that enforce accuracy and consistency. When the enterprise customer asks how AI outputs are governed, the answer is a system, not a process.
Recommended Deployment
Studio
Assists judgment
★ Start here
- •Product documentation drafting
- •Release notes generation
- •Internal technical spec assist
Refinery
Enforces authority
- •Customer-facing docs governance
- •Support response templates
- •Changelog and status page content
Clean Room
Enforces defensibility
Not applicable for this segment
Expansion path: studio -> refinery
Regulatory Context
SOC 2 Type II increasingly requires AI governance documentation. State privacy laws (CCPA/CPRA) apply to AI-processed personal data. GDPR applies to EU customers. Open source license compliance is not exempted for AI-generated code. Terms of service enforcement requires knowing what the AI produced.
Applicable Frameworks
Common Objections
"We're 20 engineers. We can't afford governance infrastructure."
Ontic's Studio tier is consumption-priced and requires no infrastructure. The cost of not having governance is losing the enterprise deal because the security questionnaire cannot be answered. The first enterprise contract pays for years of Ontic.
Evidence
- →82% of software organizations use AI internally; 25% have governance policies
- →SOC 2 auditors are adding AI governance to examination scope
- →Enterprise security questionnaires increasingly include AI-specific questions
Questions to Consider
- ?How do you answer the AI governance section of enterprise security questionnaires today?
- ?Is any AI-generated content reaching your customers — docs, support responses, release notes?
- ?Has your SOC 2 auditor raised AI governance as a scope item?
Primary Buyer
CTO / VP Engineering / Head of Security
Deal Size
SMB (< $25K ACV)
Implementation
Low — Days to first value
Start With
Studio
Ready to see how Ontic works for startup?