AI Tops RIA Compliance Concerns
InvestmentNews reports that artificial intelligence and predictive analytics are now the No. 1 compliance “hot topic” for RIAs—named by 57% of compliance officers—overtaking AML (41%) and cybersecurity (38%). Those figures come from the 2025 Investment Management Compliance Testing (IMCT) Survey, fielded in May and released by the Investment Adviser Association (IAA), ACA Group, and Yuter Compliance.
The same survey shows AI adoption is real but uneven: roughly 40% of firms have formally adopted AI for internal use, yet only 5% use it in client interactions; many firms are still building guardrails. The report collected hundreds of responses from advisory firms of all sizes—making it a useful snapshot of where programs really stand.
Below is a practical action plan GiGCXOs implements with broker-dealers and RIAs that want to capture AI’s upside while staying exam-ready.
1) AI governance that examiners understand
What to build
An AI use registry (systems, prompts, data sources, outputs, owners).
Risk-based allow/limit/prohibit matrix (client-facing vs. internal; PII; model type).
Testing & validation playbooks (accuracy, bias, hallucinations, data leakage).
Records & change control (versioning, model updates, prompts, overrides).
Why it matters
Regulators are scrutinizing how firms deploy AI, not just if they use it. Making governance visible is now table stakes.
2) Marketing Rule controls for AI-generated content
What to build
A pre-review workflow that detects promissory language, composite/benchmark issues, and missing risk prominence before publication.
Disclosure libraries and “do not say” rules embedded into review.
Sampling & attestations for advisor-authored posts, slides, emails, and short-form video.
Why it matters
The Marketing Rule remains a top risk; AI accelerates content creation—mistakes can scale just as fast.
3) Electronic-communications capture (including off-channel)
What to build
Capture for approved channels (email, text, chat, social), with off-channel monitoring and escalation.
AI-assisted surveillance tuned to detect spoofing, pretexting, unapproved recommendations, and privacy leaks.
Fast eDiscovery and export for exams, complaints, and incident response.
4) AML, cybersecurity, and vendor diligence—now with AI in scope
What to build
Update AML and cyber risk assessments to reflect AI-enabled threats (deepfakes, account takeovers, data exfiltration); test controls.
Add AI-specific questions to vendor due diligence (model origin, training data, privacy posture, key management, incident history).
User training: prompt hygiene, sensitive-data handling, red-flag recognition.
5) Evidence, evidence, evidence
What to build
A single exam-ready evidence pack: AI policies, registry, approvals, test results, content reviews, surveillance logs, exceptions, and board/CCO reporting.
Metrics (usage, overrides, exceptions, time-to-remediation) that show your program works.
Available today: AICompliance360™
No need to wait. GiGCXOs already deploys Hadrius as the core application within AICompliance360™, and it’s live at numerous broker-dealers and RIAs. That means you can stand up an AI-ready compliance stack immediately with:
Marketing Rule pre-review & workflows: AI-assisted screening for promissory language, performance references, testimonials, risk prominence, and third-party ratings—plus reviewer queues, versioning, and required disclosures.
Supervision & evidence: Centralized approvals, audit trails, sampling, attestations, and exportable exam packets.
E-communications oversight: Capture and review of advisor content across approved channels, with policy-driven exceptions and remediation tasks.
Program governance: Policy libraries, role-based permissions, and reporting dashboards your CCO can hand to examiners.
If your firm needs a production-tested solution that maps directly to today’s AI concerns, AICompliance360™ with Hadrius is ready to launch.
How GiGCXOs engages (deliverables you can deploy today)
AI Program Blueprint: Policies, risk taxonomy, intake, approval gates, and a live AI Use Registry mapped to your apps and data.
Marketing Rule Guardrails: Reviewer checklists + AI-assisted pre-screening for claims, hypotheticals, performance references, testimonials, and third-party ratings.
Comm Oversight Upgrade: Unified capture, AI-assisted surveillance rules, and off-channel remediation workflows.
Cyber/AML Alignment: Updated risk assessments, scenario tests (deepfake wire, impersonation), and vendor AI addendum.
Exam Pack: A consolidated evidence set aligned to SEC/FINRA expectations, refreshed quarterly.
The takeaway
RIAs and broker-dealers are leaning into AI—but governance, testing, and documentation determine whether that innovation passes an exam. With AI now the top compliance concern, the firms that win will be the ones that can show exactly how their controls work—and can prove it with a production-ready system like AICompliance360™ powered by Hadrius. Contact us to discuss how GiGCXOs can support your efforts to enhance your supervisory program with tried and tested AI compliance software used by numerous broker-dealers and RIAs.
