As we head towards 2025, Garry Ackerman, Director at Argantic, outlines trends for the year ahead, particularly around artificial intelligence and its growing impact on IT compliance and security.
While AI’s early promise sparked excitement, its slow maturity has created a unique period of uncertainty and opportunity. IT departments, in particular, find themselves at the intersection of AI development and growing compliance requirements, reshaping how business leaders manage data, tools and security.
As we approach 2025, artificial intelligence (AI) will continue to advance, opening the way to significant opportunities and complex challenges.
Early promise, slow maturity
AI first dazzled with its potential to revolutionize industries, from customer service to data analysis. However, the reality was more measured. Many organizations that adopted AI early either reduced their investments or reallocated their resources after finding that the benefits of AI were often limited to specific use cases.
This measured adoption reflects a broader truth: AI is still a work in progress. Vendors actively refine their offerings based on feedback from early adopters, leading to constant, albeit incremental, improvements. So far, AI has proven useful in narrowly defined applications, but remains less effective as a general-purpose tool for most information workers.
Despite these limitations, the continued focus on AI in vendor presentations and product announcements indicates that its time is near. As AI matures, so does its integration into the business landscape, particularly in areas where its utility is undeniable, such as compliance.
Top trends that will shape AI and compliance in 2025
- AI maturity and targeted use cases
By 2025, AI use cases will expand as vendors refine their offerings and businesses identify clearer applications. Organizations will increasingly implement AI in areas such as fraud detection, contract review and process automation, where its impact can be measured and optimized. - AI-Infused Supplier Solutions
Feedback loops from early adopters have enabled vendors to further integrate AI into their products. Whether through predictive analytics or advanced workflow tools, AI will become less of a standalone novelty and more of a fundamental capability. - Compliance as a priority, not an option
The intersection of AI and compliance has become a crucial area of focus. Organizations are realizing that effective AI implementation requires robust data governance, classification and protection measures. Compliance, once considered a box-ticking exercise, is now recognized as essential to AI readiness.
The role of compliance
AI’s reliance on data has forced organizations to re-evaluate their approach to compliance. The traditional “security through obscurity” model – in which sensitive data remains secure because users simply do not have access to it or are unaware of it – collapses when AI tools enter on stage. AI has the ability to discover and analyze large amounts of data, making unintentional sharing a significant risk.
Risks of data oversharing
Incidents such as Samsung employees inadvertently disclosing company secrets through AI tools like ChatGPT illustrate the dangers of poorly managed data access. Shadow IT further compounds the problem as employees adopt unauthorized tools that bypass organizational controls, potentially exposing sensitive information.
Advancing data governance
To address these challenges, IT departments are turning to tools like Microsoft Purview for data classification and protection, Microsoft Intune for device management, and SharePoint for enterprise content management. These tools help enforce policies that ensure users access only what they need while protecting confidential information.
Looking towards 2025: preparing IT for the future
By 2025, AI and compliance will be inextricably linked. Organizations will need to develop clearer frameworks for managing AI tools and compliance processes. Key priorities for IT services will include:
- Strengthen data governance: implement strict data classification policies to protect sensitive information.
- Improve device control: Use tools like Microsoft Intune to secure and manage user devices.
- Streamlining content management: Migrating existing file servers to centralized platforms such as SharePoint to ensure data is organized and compliant with policies.
Although the full potential of AI has yet to be developed, its growing impact is undeniable. The current period of uncertainty now presents an opportunity for IT organizations to prepare, innovate and align their strategies around the twin imperatives of AI readiness and compliance. By addressing these challenges, businesses can unlock new opportunities and ensure they are well positioned for the digital workplace of the future.
AI is no longer just a visionary technology; it is becoming a practical reality with profound implications for compliance and IT strategy. As organizations move through this transition, the emphasis on strong data governance and proactive compliance measures will only increase.