Diligent unveils AI tool to streamline risk management for firms

Diligent has introduced AI Risk Essentials, an AI-powered solution intended to help organisations identify, benchmark, and mitigate enterprise risks.

AI Risk Essentials is designed to streamline the initiation and development of an enterprise risk management (ERM) programme. According to Diligent, the new solution can be deployed in under a week, providing governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) professionals with tools to rapidly prepare for board discussions, evaluate risks, conduct assessments, establish mitigation strategies, and monitor risk management activities.

The AI-powered tool leverages benchmarking risk data extracted from over 120,000 SEC 10-K filings, offering organisations access to a wide dataset for comparing and evaluating their risk positions. This enables users to benchmark against peers, identify blind spots, and expedite the construction of their risk registries.

The introduction of AI Risk Essentials follows Diligent's previous AI-focused initiatives, such as the GovernAI suite within the Diligent One Platform. Both products aim to facilitate governance and risk processes for boards, executives, and legal professionals, with an emphasis on maintaining security and responsible application of AI technologies.

Market research cited by Diligent indicates that more than 77% of directors report receiving regular board-level discussions regarding new risks and their implications. The demand for improved benchmarking data and risk management solutions is growing as regulatory and environmental changes introduce new challenges.

Michael Rasmussen, GRC Analyst, Influencer & Pundit at GRC 20/20, commented on the potential impact of AI-driven risk tools on organisational resilience. "Leveraging advanced AI-driven solutions like Diligent AI Risk Essentials enables organisations not only to quickly identify and assess these uncertainties but also to strategically benchmark their risks against industry standards. Integrating these insights into decision-making empowers leaders to proactively mitigate risk, align their ERM programs with strategic objectives, and ultimately drive resilience and agility in achieving their organisational goals," Rasmussen said.

Diligent highlights the continued reliance on manual risk tracking methods, such as spreadsheets, within many organisations; only 32% describe their risk oversight as mature or robust. AI Risk Essentials is intended to address these gaps and, in combination with other features of the Diligent One Platform, delivers a range of functionalities, including AI-driven risk identification, benchmarking suggestions based on SEC 10-K data, and tools for collaborative risk assessment with stakeholders.

The solution offers capabilities such as streamlined risk assessments, where teams can collaborate to evaluate the potential impact and likelihood of strategic risks. Risk mitigation plans are consolidated in a single, easily accessible environment to improve accountability and visibility. Users are provided with an interactive risk heatmap to visualise the severity of risks, guiding the prioritisation of their risk management initiatives.

Additionally, AI Risk Essentials grants access to Diligent's Education and Templates Library. This repository includes a variety of resources for board members, executives, and legal professionals, as well as a newly launched ERM Certification, supporting best practices for risk maturity and the development of organisational risk literacy.

Scott Bridgen, General Manager, Risk & Audit at Diligent, commented on the evolving risk landscape and the need for AI-driven tools. "The volume and complexity of risk management have increased exponentially in the last five years, but most organisations are hampered by varying levels of risk maturity, resourcing and inadequate tools," Bridgen stated. "Now, by leveraging AI-powered insights and benchmarking capabilities, organisations of any size can quickly identify, assess and mitigate risks. Governance and risk professionals can effectively jumpstart or enhance an enterprise risk management program in time for their next board meeting."

AI Risk Essentials is positioned as part of Diligent's broader three-tier ERM suite, which has been recognised by analysts including Forrester, Gartner, and IDC. The ERM suite comprises a range of scalable solutions to support clients as their risk management practices mature and they require advanced functionality.