Fraud and AML Teams Grow Despite AI Adoption
A 2026 report from SEON reveals that while AI adoption is nearly universal among global fraud and compliance teams, headcount and budgets in these departments are also rising. The findings suggest that automation is augmenting rather than replacing human oversight. The report also notes that fragmented systems remain a key challenge, underscoring the need for better integration and cross-system controls.
- The 2026 SEON report's finding that 94% of fraud and compliance teams plan to hire more staff, up from 88% in the prior year, reflects that AI is exposing more underlying issues rather than reducing overall workload. Concurrently, 83% of these organizations also anticipate jejich rozpočty na boj proti podvodům a praní špinavých peněz v roce 2026 porostou. - A significant challenge hindering AI's effectiveness is system fragmentation; while 95% of firms have some integration between fraud and AML systems, only 47% operate with fully integrated workflows, and 80% find it difficult to get a unified view of their data. This lack of a unified view is a smaller problem for high-growth companies, suggesting a link between integrated data and business performance. - The "black box" nature of many AI systems presents a hurdle for internal audit and compliance, as the difficulty in explaining an AI's decisions can conflict with regulatory demands for transparency. This is a key focus for internal audit, which is increasingly tasked with providing assurance over AI governance, risk, and control challenges. - Geopolitical volatility is a primary driver of supply chain risk for manufacturers in 2026, with ongoing trade tensions, sudden tariff changes, and export controls on critical materials like semiconductors and rare earths disrupting production. Internal audit teams are being pushed to assess supply chain resilience against these trade barriers and map risks from potential tariffs and supplier relocations. - Regulatory pressures on manufacturers are intensifying globally, with a focus on supply chain transparency and product lifecycle management. For instance, the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) will mandate "digital product passports" to trace a product's composition, origin, and environmental impact. - Internal audit functions are shifting from traditional control testing to more strategic oversight of emerging risks like AI governance, cybersecurity, and third-party dependencies. There is a growing need for auditors to develop skills in data analytics and to understand the business context of new technologies to provide valuable insights. - As fraudsters increasingly use AI to automate and scale their attacks, the volume and sophistication of threats are rising. This has led 33% of compliance leaders to cite data privacy regulations and 25% to point to criminals' use of AI as the biggest external forces shaping their AML strategies.
