Report: Fraud Teams Grow Despite Near-Universal AI Adoption
A 2026 report from SEON on fraud and anti-money laundering found near-universal AI adoption among over 1,000 global fraud and compliance leaders. Despite the widespread use of AI, the survey revealed that fraud teams are still growing, with rising headcounts and bigger budgets. The findings suggest AI is augmenting rather than replacing human expertise in these critical functions.
- The 2026 SEON report specifies that 83% of fraud and compliance leaders expect budget increases in 2026, and 94% plan to increase headcount, up from 88% in 2025. - The primary driver for continued hiring is system fragmentation; 80% of leaders report that getting a unified view of data is a challenge, and only 47% run fully integrated fraud and AML workflows. - This investment corresponds with rising threats, as criminals increasingly use AI for synthetic identity fraud; overall fraud losses are
