The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence and the continued expansion of digital communication channels are creating new challenges for compliance, recordkeeping and supervisory functions, particularly in the financial services sector. Theta Lake’s 2025/26 Digital Communications Governance Report examines how financial institutions in the United States and United Kingdom are responding to these developments. The report is based on a survey of 500 senior IT, unified communications and compliance leaders.

One of the report’s principal findings concerns the increasing role of AI in workplace communications. According to the survey, 99% of respondents expect their firms to expand their use of AI, while 88% report challenges relating to AI governance and security. AI-generated and AI-assisted communications add another layer to existing governance questions concerning the capture, retention, supervision and review of business communications.

At the same time, more traditional communications compliance issues remain significant. 67% of respondents remain concerned about off-channel communications, while half report that fragmented data creates substantial obstacles to effective surveillance and supervision. The findings indicate that the governance challenge is not confined to AI itself, but also concerns the increasing number of communication channels, platforms and data repositories through which business communications take place.

The report provides an interesting perspective on the interaction between technological development and established regulatory requirements. As AI tools become increasingly integrated into ordinary workplace communications, questions concerning recordkeeping, supervision, data governance and the reconstruction of communications are likely to become relevant in a wider range of compliance contexts. The precise regulatory implications will, however, depend on the applicable legal framework, the relevant communications and the circumstances of the individual use case.