AI in GRC: A decade of change
AI in governance, risk and compliance (GRC) has advanced faster in the past decade than most leaders expected, and the pace continues to accelerate. In 2016, many teams utilized spreadsheets, email chains and manual board packs to manage audits, risks and compliance. Today, AI-powered workflows are reshaping how information reaches leaders, how risk is identified and how decisions are made.
How leading organizations are turning AI into action
That evolution is captured in the infographic below, “AI in GRC: A decade of change — and your next leap.” It traces the shift from manual processes to AI-enabled programs across board management, enterprise risk, audit, compliance, entity and legal operations, due diligence, education and platform integration — and looks ahead to what’s next as organizations enter the era of agentic AI.
If you want to turn these trends into practical skills, Diligent Elevate 2026 offers a hands-on look at what AI-powered GRC looks like in practice. Taking place April 22–24, 2026, in Atlanta, Elevate is a three-day, in-person conference designed to help governance, risk, compliance and audit leaders apply AI across their daily work — from board preparation to frontline oversight.
Learn more and register at diligent.com/elevate.
From manual work to agentic AI
The contrast with a decade ago is fascinating. In 2016, teams spent weeks assembling board materials, reconciling risk registers and manually sampling audit data. Purpose-built GRC platforms have since consolidated those activities, creating the foundation for AI to deliver greater impact.
Today, AI in GRC is all about connected intelligence. AI can draft board-ready materials and minutes, benchmark large volumes of risk data, flag anomalies in audits, route compliance cases more efficiently and summarize complex records in seconds. When these capabilities operate on a unified platform spanning governance, risk, audit and compliance, leaders gain real-time visibility and can act with greater speed and confidence.
The next leap, highlighted in the infographic, is agentic AI: policy-aware, always-on agents that continuously monitor activity, surface emerging risks and keep oversight bodies informed — without adding burden to already stretched teams. This shift moves GRC from incremental efficiency to a fundamentally different model of oversight, accountability and decision-making.
Turn insight into action at Elevate 2026
Understanding this evolution is important. Seeing it in action, and learning how to apply it, is what Elevate delivers. At Diligent Elevate 2026, you’ll explore how AI is transforming GRC across industries, learn from peers and experts, and leave with practical workflows you can use immediately.
Over three days, Elevate combines hands-on training, live demos, customer stories and thought leadership focused on AI-enabled governance, risk, compliance and audit. You’ll deepen your proficiency with Diligent’s tools, explore emerging AI capabilities and benchmark your roadmap against peers facing the same pressures to move faster, manage risk more effectively and support better decisions.
As you review the infographic, consider what the next decade of GRC could look like in your organization — and what it would mean to have a connected, AI-powered platform supporting every critical decision. Diligent’s integrated suite of GRC solutions is built to help organizations move from manual processes to intelligent, scalable oversight.
Take the next step:
Explore our end-to-end GRC platform and click here to reserve your place at Diligent Elevate 2026 to join peers leading the next era of AI-powered GRC.
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