No Result
View All Result
SUBSCRIBE | NO FEES, NO PAYWALLS
MANAGE MY SUBSCRIPTION
NEWSLETTER
Corporate Compliance Insights
  • Home
  • About
    • About CCI
    • CCI Magazine
    • Writing for CCI
    • Career Connection
    • NEW: CCI Press – Book Publishing
    • Advertise With Us
  • Explore Topics
    • See All Articles
    • Compliance
    • Ethics
    • Risk
    • FCPA
    • Governance
    • Fraud
    • Internal Audit
    • HR Compliance
    • Cybersecurity
    • Data Privacy
    • Financial Services
    • Well-Being at Work
    • Leadership and Career
    • Opinion
  • Vendor News
  • Library
    • Download Whitepapers & Reports
    • Download eBooks
    • New: Living Your Best Compliance Life by Mary Shirley
    • New: Ethics and Compliance for Humans by Adam Balfour
    • 2021: Raise Your Game, Not Your Voice by Lentini-Walker & Tschida
    • CCI Press & Compliance Bookshelf
  • Podcasts
    • Great Women in Compliance
    • Unless: The Podcast (Hemma Lomax)
  • Research
  • Webinars
  • Events
  • Subscribe
Jump to a Section
  • At the Office
    • Ethics
    • HR Compliance
    • Leadership & Career
    • Well-Being at Work
  • Compliance & Risk
    • Compliance
    • FCPA
    • Fraud
    • Risk
  • Finserv & Audit
    • Financial Services
    • Internal Audit
  • Governance
    • ESG
    • Getting Governance Right
  • Infosec
    • Cybersecurity
    • Data Privacy
  • Opinion
    • Adam Balfour
    • Jim DeLoach
    • Mary Shirley
    • Yan Tougas
No Result
View All Result
Corporate Compliance Insights
Home Cybersecurity

Planning on Using AI for Security Compliance? Are You Sure You Don’t Just Need Automation?

Neither AI nor automation should be deployed without human oversight

by Shrav Mehta
June 17, 2024
in Cybersecurity, Opinion
robot pressing keyboard enter key

Artificial intelligence and automation are helping companies across all industries improve their cybersecurity posture — but that doesn’t mean they are one and the same. Shrav Mehta, founder and CEO of Secureframe, explores the differences between AI and automation and how to know which technology is fit for purpose.

Organizations that use security AI and automation extensively have been able to identify and contain a data breach 108 days faster on average and save nearly $1.8 million, compared to organizations that do not use these tools at all.

But AI and automation are not completely interchangeable when it comes to security compliance. Nor can the entire compliance process be automated without the guidance and expertise of human auditors. However, companies may be able to harness the full potential of both AI and automation by using them in the specific areas where each technology can uniquely excel. 

The differences between compliance AI and automation

Are AI and automation interchangeable when it comes to compliance? I get this question a lot, and my answer is that they are like apples and oranges. Because automation must be programmed, it requires humans to input explicit rules in order to carry out functions. AI, on the other hand, learns from data inputs and then makes logical decisions based on those data sets.

Today, many companies use automation to gather information for compliance reports, usually in order to receive certifications like SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and PCI DSS. Many automation tools can integrate with existing services to scan your cloud infrastructure and provide insight into how prepared you are for an audit, which is the first step in receiving any type of security certification.

AI, on the other hand, can be most effective in threat detection because it can learn how to identify real threats and dismiss false positives over time. Generative AI in cybersecurity, specifically, can produce algorithms that automatically scan network traffic for threats and provide insights on the behavior of malicious scripts.

AI & automation for compliance

Automation in compliance is best applied to tasks like evidence collection, centralizing compliance data and monitoring security controls. When put into practice, automation can save hundreds of hours answering requests for proposals and security questionnaires, which can dramatically speed up sales cycles without burning out additional internal resources.

Many compliance automation solutions will also flag issues and controls that are failing so that humans can be proactive in fixing them. This is useful for improving compliance processes and maintaining a strong security posture between audits. But while the system will flag issues, most won’t tell you how to fix them. That’s where AI can step in.

AI can augment human expertise by pulling data from the compliance system to generate tailored remediation guidance based on the organization’s specific configurations and infrastructure, which can dramatically improve test pass rates. AI can also be used very effectively to produce an inherent risk score, a treatment plan and a residual risk score so you can improve your company’s overall risk awareness and response plan.

confused toy robot
Risk

10 Questions to Ask About Generative AI

by Jim DeLoach
May 21, 2024

Boards and management should settle in for long journey

Read moreDetails

The human touch

While both AI and automation can prove to be great assets, whether it’s automation helping cut down the prep time for a security audit or AI monitoring for regulatory changes, when it comes to defending against security threats, humans are still the most valuable resource.

Security teams bring contextual understanding to incidents because they can interpret the significance of events based on their knowledge of the organization’s infrastructure, business processes and threat history. 

These professionals are also critical for instilling a culture of security, which may, paradoxically, be strained by the very presence of AI. A Cyberhaven report last year found that about 11% of the data employees put into ChatGPT was confidential. Your security team can teach employees to use AI tools responsibly, including how to leverage AI and automation without compromising the data privacy or security of the company. 

A note on implementation

Every company will have a different system and tech stack, which means AI tools and automation will rarely be used in exactly the same way at every organization. It’s crucial to proceed with caution before jumping right into a subscription for a new security tool. When integrating a new tool, some of the most important areas of consideration should be: 

  • Compatibility: How the tool fits within your current tech stack.
  • Data standardization: How the data within the tool is standardized, stored, processed, and anonymized.
  • Performance optimization: How you will get the tool to perform its tasks in the most efficient way possible.
  • Monitoring and training: How you will monitor usage of the tool and train employees to use it.

The highest security standards require all 3 components

AI is best suited for remediation and risk assessment, while automation is best applied to evidence collection and centralizing compliance data. Both are powerful tools in detecting threats, preventing cyber attacks and ensuring a company complies with rigorous security standards.

But importantly, skilled security experts are a required part of that equation. No organization can have the highest security standards without all three of these components working together effectively. 

 


Tags: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Previous Post

How to Ensure You’re Not AI Washing

Next Post

The Art of Maintaining During Strategic Pauses: Sustaining Yourself, Your Teams & Compliance Programs for Success

Shrav Mehta

Shrav Mehta

Shrav Mehta is founder and CEO of Secureframe, a security compliance automation platform. He previously held roles at Pilot.com, ScaleAI, Lob and Hired.com.

Related Posts

news roundup new

Few Business Leaders Feel Fully Prepared for Challenges of 2025

by Staff and Wire Reports
June 20, 2025

Data center operators not using full slate of available sustainability tactics; companies continue to use AI without policies

robot nurturing a good idea

Innovation vs. Compliance: In the Age of AI, Why Not Both?

by Asha Palmer
June 17, 2025

As governments scramble to regulate AI, forward-thinking companies are writing their own compliance playbooks

human robot working as team pie chart

Smart Machines, Smarter Humans: Why Compliance Still Needs a Human Touch

by Roman Eloshvili
June 17, 2025

From the 2008 financial crisis to everyday judgment calls, the case for keeping humans in the compliance loop

surrealist businessmen on platforms doing tug of war

Regulation vs. Innovation: The Tug-of-War Defining Finance’s Future

by Alex Tsepaev
June 6, 2025

AI compliance creates a global patchwork where EU fines reach €35 million while the US encourages growth — leaving financial...

Next Post
burnout concept

The Art of Maintaining During Strategic Pauses: Sustaining Yourself, Your Teams & Compliance Programs for Success

No Result
View All Result

Privacy Policy | AI Policy

Founded in 2010, CCI is the web’s premier global independent news source for compliance, ethics, risk and information security. 

Got a news tip? Get in touch. Want a weekly round-up in your inbox? Sign up for free. No subscription fees, no paywalls. 

Follow Us

Browse Topics:

  • CCI Press
  • Compliance
  • Compliance Podcasts
  • Cybersecurity
  • Data Privacy
  • eBooks Published by CCI
  • Ethics
  • FCPA
  • Featured
  • Financial Services
  • Fraud
  • Governance
  • GRC Vendor News
  • HR Compliance
  • Internal Audit
  • Leadership and Career
  • On Demand Webinars
  • Opinion
  • Research
  • Resource Library
  • Risk
  • Uncategorized
  • Videos
  • Webinars
  • Well-Being
  • Whitepapers

© 2025 Corporate Compliance Insights

Welcome to CCI. This site uses cookies. Please click OK to accept. Privacy Policy
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • About CCI
    • CCI Magazine
    • Writing for CCI
    • Career Connection
    • NEW: CCI Press – Book Publishing
    • Advertise With Us
  • Explore Topics
    • See All Articles
    • Compliance
    • Ethics
    • Risk
    • FCPA
    • Governance
    • Fraud
    • Internal Audit
    • HR Compliance
    • Cybersecurity
    • Data Privacy
    • Financial Services
    • Well-Being at Work
    • Leadership and Career
    • Opinion
  • Vendor News
  • Library
    • Download Whitepapers & Reports
    • Download eBooks
    • New: Living Your Best Compliance Life by Mary Shirley
    • New: Ethics and Compliance for Humans by Adam Balfour
    • 2021: Raise Your Game, Not Your Voice by Lentini-Walker & Tschida
    • CCI Press & Compliance Bookshelf
  • Podcasts
    • Great Women in Compliance
    • Unless: The Podcast (Hemma Lomax)
  • Research
  • Webinars
  • Events
  • Subscribe

© 2025 Corporate Compliance Insights