AI’s Impact on GRC: 7 Insights You Can't Miss
- GRC
- 13 August 25
Introduction
As AI moves from novelty to necessity, its impact on Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) is nothing short of transformational. In a compelling new episode of the Tech Talks Daily podcast, host Neil C. Hughes reconnects with Gaurav Kapoor, Vice Chairman and Co-Founder of MetricStream, to unpack how AI is reshaping the world of GRC, from back-office routine to boardroom strategy.
Their wide-ranging conversation covers everything from generative and agentic AI to regulatory shifts, real-world enterprise challenges, and the urgent need to reimagine risk as a strategic advantage. Here are 7 powerful statements from the discussion to guide risk, compliance and cyber GRC leaders in navigating the age of AI with confidence, clarity, and control.
Top 7 Quotes from the Conversation
“GRC is becoming a strategic lever for resilience and growth.”
GRC Is No Longer a Back-Office Function: Enterprises are moving beyond compliance checklists, embracing GRC as a proactive force for innovation, decision-making, and competitive differentiation. As they move up the GRC maturity curve from merely managing risk, they are embedding GRC to simplify processes and drive strategic outcomes. Organizations that integrate GRC into product design, workflows, and strategic planning can respond faster to disruption, spot new opportunities, and inspire greater stakeholder confidence.
“Generative AI is about content creation. Agentic AI is about getting things done.”
AI Is Shifting from Efficiency to Intelligence: AI today has moved beyond automation. It’s becoming integral to risk sensing, regulatory monitoring, and decision support, freeing teams from rote work and unlocking human potential. While generative AI creates relevant content and insights, agentic AI executes tasks and processes autonomously. Together, they remove bottlenecks in compliance and risk workflows, enabling teams to focus on higher-value activities. The real promise of AI in GRC lies in surfacing hidden risks, improving decision quality, and ensuring that human expertise is applied where it adds the most value.
“One large bank has 2,500 people filling out risk forms full time. That’s unsustainable.”
The Hidden Cost of Manual Compliance: Legacy GRC processes drain resources and limit agility. In the podcast, Gaurav Kapoor stresses how AI can dramatically reduce manual workloads, transforming hours of compliance tasks into minutes. He recalls a major bank where thousands of employees spent their days completing risk assessments—a process ripe for AI-driven transformation. By automating routine form-filling and control testing, organizations can reduce weeks of work to minutes, free up skilled staff for strategic analysis, and improve accuracy at scale.
“AI is helping us detect risks that used to take six months in minutes.”
Emerging Risks Can Now Be Identified in Real Time: By identifying and filtering the right signals from noise across internal and external data, AI enables faster and more proactive risk mitigation. From geopolitical events to cyber threats on critical infrastructure, emerging risks can escalate quickly. AI’s ability to quickly scan across vast data sources gives leaders early warning, turning reaction into prevention. For energy companies, that can mean spotting political instability before it impacts production; for banks, anticipating a compliance gap before it draws regulatory scrutiny. This acceleration fundamentally changes the timeline of risk response.
“Self-governance and industry frameworks will sometimes leapfrog formal regulation.”
Global Regulation Is Only Getting More Complex: While some political shifts suggest deregulation, the global trend is toward more fragmented and overlapping regulatory frameworks. Gaurav Kapoor highlights the rise of nationalized AI models, regional data laws, and sector-specific governance frameworks. Organizations will be required to comply with existing regulations while also preparing for industry-led governance that can emerge faster than formal legislation. Success will require agility, foresight, and a proactive approach to aligning innovation with accountability.
“We can’t automate everything. Human intellect remains critical to assess, understand, and react to risk.”
The Human Element Still Matters: AI will transform GRC roles, but it will not eliminate the need for human judgment. Machines excel at processing data, identifying patterns, and executing routine tasks; people bring the context, ethical reasoning, and strategic decision-making that automation cannot replicate. The future of GRC is a partnership, where AI augments human capability and professionals focus on the nuanced, high-stakes aspects of governance and risk.
“Stop treating GRC as a post-facto audit. Build it into your product, supply chain, and workflows from the start.”
GRC Must Be Embedded by Design: The next frontier is GRC by design—built into the core of business operations rather than bolted on after the fact. Instead of adding compliance checks after development or implementation, organizations should embed risk and governance considerations into every stage, from product creation to supply chain management and digital transformation initiatives. The most effective approach: start small, demonstrate quick wins, and scale incrementally. This builds trust, encourages adoption, and ensures GRC is seen as an enabler, not an obstacle.
Navigate the AI in GRC Imperative with MetricStream
AI is quickly becoming the engine that powers modern GRC. Organizations that embrace AI with strong governance will gain speed, insight, and competitive advantage. Those who hesitate risk falling behind in an environment where product cycles, regulatory landscapes, and threat vectors move faster than ever. The winners will be those who blend human judgment with AI’s precision, embed GRC into the DNA of their operations, and approach risk not as a barrier but as a catalyst for resilience and growth.
Simplify the complexity of GRC with MetricStream’s AI-first Connected GRC. Our powerful agentic and generative AI capabilities give you the insights and integration you need across your entire GRC ecosystem. Break down silos, gain real-time visibility into your most critical risks—from operational, cyber, and third-party to compliance and audit—and make faster, smarter decisions.
