The Future of Compliance: Powered by AI and Automation

Introduction

Today’s compliance landscape is unrecognizable from what it was just five years ago. In the pre-pandemic world of compliance and risk management, workplaces operated largely in-person, organizations were still exploring the cloud cautiously, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovations remained mainly in the domain of data scientists. Regulatory changes like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) were still fresh and many compliance processes were manual, confined to standalone departments.

Fast-forward to 2025, and we see a significantly transformed environment shaped by rapid digital transformation, hybrid work models, and a cloud-first mindset. AI is no longer reserved for niche teams but is now embedded in processes across the enterprise. Regulatory pressures have intensified from the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) to new AI-related laws. Cyber, geopolitical, and third-party risks have escalated in scale and intensity. All of the above are driving an urgent need for automated compliance and strategic, connected governance, risk and compliance (GRC). In this blog, we’ll explore how these shifts are reshaping compliance and risk management strategies for the future.

An Unstoppable Surge in Regulations

The scale and speed of regulatory change today is unprecedented. According to Thomson Reuters’ Cost of Compliance 2023 report, financial services firms faced an average of 234 regulatory alerts per day at the start of last year—a 25x increase from just over a decade ago. And this isn’t limited to financial services. Industries across the board are grappling with a flood of new and evolving mandates.

52% of respondents to our GRC Practitioner Survey, Looking into 2025 – A Journey Through GRC Challenges and Priorities, listed navigating regulatory changes as one of their top challenges, while more than half, 52%, said maintaining compliance with evolving regulations is their core strategy for 2025.

Staying ahead of this fast-moving regulatory tide also results in compliance teams not being able to invest time in higher-value activities like advising leadership, strengthening internal controls, or responding to emerging risks.

The Role of the Compliance Leader Has Evolved

This explosion in regulations has coincided with a broader transformation in the role of the compliance leader. No longer just gatekeepers of rules and policies, compliance heads are now expected to:

• Proactively identify and mitigate risks
• Shape corporate strategy through regulatory intelligence
• Foster trust with regulators and customers
• Enable innovation within compliance without compromising compliance.

In fact, many compliance leaders are becoming trusted advisors to the C-suite and board, offering strategic insights that influence business decisions. But to do that effectively, they need more than scattered reports and siloed data—they need real-time, actionable intelligence.

The Limits of Manual Processes

Traditional compliance tools, like spreadsheets and point solutions, weren’t built for this new era. They’re labor-intensive, prone to human error, and don’t scale well across global operations. Worse, they often fail to provide the visibility and speed needed to respond to today’s risks and regulations.

In a hybrid, cloud-first world where operations span multiple geographies and third-party relationships, manual processes simply can’t keep up. What’s needed is a smarter, faster, and more integrated approach.

Enter Automation and AI: The Compliance Game-Changers

Compliance automation and AI technologies are revolutionizing how organizations manage compliance across the lifecycle. One of the most powerful advantages of compliance automation is the ability to deliver real-time insights. Instead of waiting for quarterly reports, compliance leaders can access up-to-the-minute dashboards that reflect their current risk posture, control effectiveness, and regulatory alignment. This kind of intelligence empowers leaders to be more proactive, make faster decisions, and have more impactful conversations with the board. It also builds a stronger case for compliance as a driver of business resilience and growth and not just a checkbox activity.

Compliance automation frees up compliance professionals to focus on strategic work, while also lowering the cost of compliance and reducing the risk of fines or reputational damage.

Compliance automation tools can:

• Continuously monitor regulatory changes and map them to your internal controls and policies
• Automate repetitive tasks like evidence collection and reporting
• Generate predictive insights using AI to flag potential compliance gaps before they become issues
• Enhance collaboration by integrating compliance workflows across departments and third parties

A Call to Action: Rethink Compliance Now

If your compliance processes are still rooted in manual tools or point solutions, now is the time to rethink your approach. The volume and complexity of regulations will only increase. Meanwhile, business expectations around agility, transparency, and innovation are rising fast. Automation and AI offer a way to meet these dual demands, making compliance smarter, leaner, and more strategic.

Want to learn more about how compliance automation works and what it can do for your organization? Discover how automation is transforming compliance, key use cases across the lifecycle, and practical steps to get started on your journey in our new eBook.