GRC Leaders Are Scaling with AI, According to New Global Survey

Key Takeaways

• Sixfold Advantage: Mature organizations are six times more likely to apply AI across multiple GRC domains.
• From Compliance to Strategy: 55% of mature firms use AI for predictive modeling and strategic planning.
• Investment on the Rise: 44% of high-maturity orgs plan to deepen their AI investments within the next year.
• Mind the Maturity Gap: Only 14% of lower-maturity organizations are using AI meaningfully in GRC.
• Execution is the Differentiator: The most successful GRC teams move beyond pilots, integrating AI into the core of how they manage risk and compliance.

Deep Dive

If you’ve been feeling like everyone’s talking about AI but few are truly doing something transformative with it, you're not alone. But a new study from AuditBoard and Panterra Research shows that the most advanced organizations aren’t just dabbling in AI for governance, risk, and compliance (GRC). They’re scaling the mountain, and leaving others at base camp.

After surveying more than 400 GRC professionals across the U.S., Canada, Germany, and the UK, the researchers found one statistic that makes it all crystal clear: mature organizations are six times more likely to use AI across multiple GRC functions. And they’re not just chasing efficiency. They're reimagining what GRC can be.

“The best organizations don’t see AI as just another tool,” the report says. “They treat it as an intelligence layer—one that connects regulations, risks, and business choices in real time.”

From Reactive to Strategic

For years, GRC teams have been under pressure to do more with less, monitor more risks, track more regulations, respond faster, and still stay compliant. Now, it seems some have found a way to flip the script.

Among high-maturity organizations (what the report calls Summit-stage firms) 76% are already using AI across both compliance and risk functions. Most don’t stop at alerting or automation. Over half are using predictive modeling, simulating regulatory impacts before they hit, and feeding structured data into systems that help steer the ship, not just patch leaks.

At the other end of the maturity ladder are the Base Camp organizations. Many are still stuck with spreadsheets and piecemeal tools. Just 6% of them are using AI meaningfully, and even fewer have managed to move beyond disconnected pilots.

“Execution, not ambition, defines the climb,” the report notes.

What's Driving the Climb?

So what makes Summit organizations different? For starters:

• 72% of them use AI to proactively track risk (compared to 52% at the bottom tier).
• 55% are using AI not just to check compliance boxes, but to shape strategic planning.
• 44% are doubling down, planning to invest further in AI-driven risk management over the next 12 months.

And there’s a mindset shift at play too. These teams aren’t treating AI as a bolt-on. They’re building for it, designing GRC programs where AI is part of the infrastructure, not an afterthought.

“Plugging in AI throughout GRC functions can help companies differentiate themselves from competitors and see around corners,” said Rich Marcus, Chief Information Security Officer at AuditBoard. “This proactive approach allows organizations to move beyond reactive compliance.”

Michael Rasmussen, CEO, Analyst & Pundit at GRC 20/20 Research, added that AI’s real promise lies not in automation alone, but in reshaping how GRC contributes to business outcomes.

“Organizations must prioritize integration, strong governance frameworks, and collaborative cross-functional strategies,” Rasmussen said. “This goes beyond efficiency, it enables compliance to actively contribute to growth.”

Three Stages of the AI Journey

The report breaks the GRC-AI maturity journey into three metaphorical stages:

• Base Camp: Experimental. Fragmented. Most efforts are tactical, like using AI to sort documents or send alerts, but lack integration or governance. Cross-functional collaboration is rare.
• Ascension: AI is operational, but not yet strategic. Tools are live, but still siloed. Only about a third of organizations are here, and most report partial integration and inconsistent standards.
• Summit: This is the sweet spot. AI is embedded, not just adopted. Teams use it for predictive modeling, real-time risk analysis, and cross-domain orchestration. GRC becomes a strategic enabler.

And the twist is that the ceiling on AI’s impact isn’t technological. It’s organizational maturity.

Companies at the Summit stage are twice as likely to use AI across multiple functions and 45% more likely to believe AI can significantly accelerate operations. They’re automating regulatory change tracking, generating insights in real time, and in some cases, building systems that respond to risk before a human ever gets involved.

A Tale of Two Futures

The maturity gap is measurable, not just conceptual. Among high-maturity organizations, 69% report that AI is helping them manage regulatory change more effectively, turning what was once a reactive burden into a proactive advantage. These teams are shifting from firefighting to forecasting, using AI to stay ahead of shifting requirements across jurisdictions.

In contrast, many less mature organizations are still stuck in the past. 41% of them continue to rely on manual tools like spreadsheets to manage risk and compliance, limiting their ability to scale or respond to real-time changes. And while AI is now considered mainstream, only 14% of these organizations say they’re using it meaningfully in their GRC programs. Many are still circling in pilot mode, testing tools without fully embedding them into daily operations.

This gap is more than just technological. It’s strategic. The companies that are further along in their AI adoption journey are orchestrating, and not just automating. They’re using AI to break down silos, connect functions, and elevate compliance from a check-the-box task to a value driver.

“They’re not just managing risk,” the report notes. “They’re shaping it.”

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