Why Talent Remains Critical in Compliance Even in the AI Age

Artificial intelligence is moving deeper into compliance work, but the latest ProSight Compliance Outlook Survey suggests that banks are thinking about it not as a substitute for human judgment but as a force multiplier. AI can help teams monitor risk more effectively, but only if institutions also invest in the people who know how to question it, govern it, and explain what it is doing. 

Several priorities come through clearly: 

AI is part of a broader push toward better monitoring. The top strategic priority Respondents named “making better use of data analytics and automation to monitor and manage compliance risk” as their top strategic priority, selected by 38%. Another 29% cited “developing compliance frameworks for artificial intelligence and/or advanced analytics.” The through line is clear: institutions want to use technology to improve the precision, efficiency, and scalability of compliance work rather than relying as heavily on manual processes. 

Banks are trying to build systems and skills at the same time. They are not just buying tools. They are trying to establish the internal capacity to use them well. Twenty-seven percent of respondents cited “building compliance talent, skills, and capacity” as a top area for strategic focus and resource investment over the next three years. That includes hiring, upskilling, succession planning, and incorporating technologies such as AI. 

The report points to real examples of how this is starting to happen. One senior global bank executive described a “firm-wide effort to integrate AI, as demonstrated by initiatives like mandatory AI prompt training and the deployment of AI agents to improve productivity, ensuring our teams have the necessary institutional and technological understanding to address new risks.” Another senior compliance executive at a regional bank said, “We are investing in advanced data analytics and automation to continuously monitor compliance risks, identify anomalies, and surface emerging issues earlier.” 

The takeaway: Human judgment is still central. One respondent summed it up this way: “We need talented humans to tell our compliance story—what we do well, what are our weaknesses, what we do to mitigate risk.” Compliance teams may become more automated, but banks still need people who can assess outputs, understand weaknesses, and make the institution’s compliance function credible.