No longer a corporate buzzword, artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming the backbone of modern compliance and investigations. From automating document review to enabling real-time risk monitoring, AI helps teams work smarter, faster, and with greater precision. Regulators now expect AI in compliance: U.S. and UK guidance call for technology-driven programs to manage fraud and strengthen controls; German authorities partner with AI vendors to speed up investigations; and in China, regulators encourage AI innovation while requiring companies to maintain strong risk management and compliance.
Yet while welcoming these advances, companies face a new set of challenges. AI-orchestrated cyber espionage, for example, has shown the technology can be weaponized in ways companies are only beginning to understand.
Artificial intelligence in compliance and investigations
For compliance teams, AI is a practical tool changing how companies manage risk, conduct investigations, and meet regulatory requirements. AI systems can help companies process vast amounts of data, spot patterns humans might miss, and respond to threats with remarkable speed. This transformation is happening across industries, and it’s especially visible in corporate compliance and internal investigations.
One of the most impressive aspects of AI is its ability to automate routine tasks. Activities such as document review, regulatory monitoring, and risk assessment, which traditionally involve significant manual effort, can increasingly be assisted by intelligent tools that continue to evolve. This shift allows compliance teams to focus on strategic decisions and complex investigations.
Advanced analytics: spotting the needle in the haystack
The true power of AI lies in its ability to analyze enormous volumes of information quickly. Advanced analytics and natural language processing enable companies to detect anomalies and patterns that may signal misconduct. For example, AI can flag unusual transactions, communications, or behaviors that warrant scrutiny. This capability is especially valuable where fraud, bribery, or other forms of white-collar crime are ongoing concerns.
Real-time monitoring and predictive analytics are changing business practices. Companies can identify risks as they emerge, rather than after. This proactive approach not only helps prevent losses but also strengthens an organization’s reputation with regulators and stakeholders.
A new era: AI-orchestrated cyber espionage
September 2025 saw a turning point in cybersecurity: a large-scale cyber espionage campaign executed primarily by AI agents. Unlike traditional cyberattacks, where humans direct every move, this campaign relied on AI systems autonomously infiltrating nearly 30 global organizations, including tech giants, financial institutions, and government agencies.
With minimal human input, the attackers used AI’s agentic capabilities to scan systems, identify vulnerabilities, and steal sensitive data. The speed and scale of the attack were unprecedented – at its peak, the AI made thousands of requests, often several a second, achieving results a human team would have found impossible. This incident showed that AI is not just a tool for defense. It can be weaponized. And the lesson for compliance and investigations teams: AI-driven threats are real, and companies must prepare to counter them with equally sophisticated tools and strategies.
Navigating the double-edged sword
September’s cyberattack illustrates a broader truth. While AI promotes efficiency and insight, it introduces risks around data security, privacy, and reliability. AI systems can also be biased or produce errors, which may lead to flawed compliance decisions.
Other internal challenges are just as significant. Resistance to change, skills gaps, and unclear policies can slow progress and limit the effectiveness of AI initiatives. Plus, new risks, such as AI-driven fraud and deepfakes, require fresh thinking and updated risk management strategies.
The regulatory expectations are evolving rapidly, with standards varying across jurisdictions. So, companies must also consider the dual-use nature of AI. The same capabilities that make compliance tools more powerful can be exploited for malicious purposes. As seen in the recent cyber espionage case, threat actors are adapting quickly, making industry-wide collaboration and improved detection methods more important than ever.
Increased expectations from regulators and enforcement agencies
In addition to the risks associated with AI systems, companies face a shift in expectations from regulators and enforcement agencies. Recent policy updates in certain jurisdictions reveal authorities are not only focusing on potential misuse of new and emerging technologies. Rather, authorities are setting expectations for companies regarding their use of AI.
The 2024 updates to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs (ECCP) guidance clarify that compliance programs should use AI and technology where they help achieve compliance goals. In the United Kingdom, the new Guidance to organisations on the offence of failure to prevent fraud explicitly expects organizations to use appropriate technology as part of their compliance systems to manage fraud risks.
German enforcement authorities increasingly use AI to gather substantial volumes of data, thereby accelerating the pace of their investigations. And in China, regulators encourage AI innovation while requiring companies to maintain strong risk management and compliance under the Interim Measures for the Management of Generative Artificial Intelligence Services and foundational laws, such as the updated Data Security Law effective January 2026.
To navigate this changing landscape, companies need to assess the role of AI in their compliance management systems. Failing to evaluate and make the most of the potential of AI in compliance could pose a significant enforcement risk.
The future of AI in compliance
Success with AI is about more than technology. It’s about governance, ethics, and human oversight. Companies need to be proactive, adapt to regulatory expectations, and invest in transparency and accountability. As AI becomes more deeply embedded in compliance functions, the need for clear policies and procedures grows.
Training is essential. Teams must be equipped with the skills to manage AI systems effectively. Collaboration with regulators and industry peers can help companies stay ahead of emerging threats. Risk management strategies should be continuously updated to address new challenges.
The future will bring even greater integration of AI into compliance and investigations. Companies that embrace both the promise and the challenges of AI will be better positioned to thrive in an increasingly complex regulatory and risk environment. This means investing in robust governance frameworks, ethical standards, and ongoing human oversight. This requires tools, training, and policies that fit individual company needs.
References
1. Anthropic, Disrupting the first reported AI-orchestrated cyber espionage campaign.