For legal, risk, and governance teams, third-party risk management still involves too much manual digging, reading, and reconciling. Diligent’s compliance products now include AI-driven capabilities that bring faster clarity where it matters most.

Below are some of the major updates across third-party risk, investigations, screening and policy management.

Third-Party Investigator: Don’t just get data. Get clarity.

Third-Party Investigator is an AI-driven investigation engine for third-party risk. It:

Resolves company names across languages and jurisdictions

Maps ownership networks using Diligent’s proprietary Ownership & Affiliation (O&A) data

Screens connected entities against global sanctions, PEPs, and adverse media

Delivers a narrative, decision-ready report with source citations and a full audit trail

Instead of handing analysts a pile of raw hits, Third-Party Investigator gives them a clear, auditable story so they can triage faster and escalate only what needs deeper review — contact your CSM to request Early Adopter access .

AI Suite for Third-Party Manager: AI that works within your workflow — not alongside it.

The AI Suite embeds generative AI directly into Third-Party Manager to address information overload, language barriers, and slow manual reviews. It combines three capabilities:

AI media monitor summarization for concise 200–250word summaries and automatic translation

AI virtual assistant for natural-language questions about any third-party profile

AI-powered due diligence reports that clear low risk assessments automatically and escalate higher risk profiles with context

Analysts stay in a single workflow while dramatically cutting the time spent reading, translating, and compiling findings.

Ownership & Affiliation (O&A) Network: Go beyond UBO to find hidden sanctions risk

The O&A Network is a proprietary, analyst-verified data set that addresses gaps in traditional, self-reported UBO databases. It:

Maps risk relationships through parents, subsidiaries, executives, known relatives, and verified affiliations

Aligns with OFAC and EU “50% rule” requirements

Focuses on validated connections to reduce noise and false positives

This helps teams uncover indirect and hidden sanctions exposure across complex ownership networks.

GDC Search Infrastructure upgrade: A smarter, more precise screening process

Diligent’s Global Database Check (GDC) has been upgraded to a modern OpenSearch-based engine that:

Improves phonetic matching (“Smith” vs “Smyth”, “Mohammed” vs “Muhammad”)

Optimizes support for names in Chinese, Japanese and Korean

Preserves all previously adjudicated hits and audit trails

The result: fewer irrelevant alerts, and greater focus on genuine risk signals.

Vault Case Importer: Modernize whistleblowing in one move

The Vault Case Importer makes migration from legacy hotline and case tools realistic and low risk:

Immediate availability of historical data in dashboards

This removes the biggest barrier to upgrading — fear of losing historical case data.

Policy Manager redesign: Find the right policy, faster

The redesigned Policy Portal provides a faster, smarter way for employees to find the right policy:

AI-powered search using natural-language questions

This reduces friction and helps employees get clearer answers, faster.

If you’re already a Diligent customer, log into the Diligent One Platform — or contact your account team — to explore these AI-driven capabilities.

Not a customer yet? Request a demo → to see how Diligent helps organizations stay ahead with clarity and confidence.


These capabilities are available today for entitled customers — contact your CSM to confirm access.


Some features require admin configuration and appropriate permissions.


Visit the GRC Education & Templates Library at diligent.com/platform/governance-risk-compliance-education and use Diligent Academy for product training.

What’s new in Diligent Compliance: AI that brings clarity to third-party and compliance workflows

Wondering what AI really means for everyday governance? 

 will give you the clearest picture yet. AI has moved from buzzword to being essential to GRC.

Come join us to find out how teams are putting AI to work in practical way. These are not theories or hype, they are AI-powered workflows and best practices, you can bring back to your organization and start using straight away.

 and join us in Atlanta, GA, April 22–24, 2026. 

AI sessions to add to your Elevate 2026 list to attend

AI skills lab: Hands‑on GovernAI training

You’ll get guided, practical time inside the tools so you can see exactly how AI accelerates agenda prep, summaries, minutes and search. No hypotheticals — just real workflows and real outputs.

Shadow AI is becoming a risk. This session shows how to take control of AI adoption with governed tools, clear policies and guardrails that keep sensitive information protected.

Seeing the whole picture: AI‑driven reporting and dashboards

GRC leaders are drowning in data but still lack clear visibility. Learn how AI‑driven dashboards highlight what matters most for your executives and board.

Managing the agentic workforce: Accountability and trust in AI‑enabled GRC

Digital agents are becoming teammates. See how they connect information, suggest next steps and help you act earlier — and what it takes to manage them responsibly.

From spreadsheets to software: Advancing ERM maturity with AI‑enabled risk management

Hear directly from teams who traded fragmented spreadsheets for connected risk intelligence that updates in real time and surfaces issues earlier.

Trust issues: How to build confidence in data and AI

How do you trust AI outputs when so much information is automated? This session gives you a practical framework for validating AI insights so leaders know they can rely on the results. A live demo of ACL AI Studio brings it all to life.

Let’s get hands‑on with BoardEffect’s GovernAI

Explore how Smart Prep, Smart Summary, Smart Minutes and Smart Search help nonprofit boards run smoother meetings with less manual effort.

All in Favor? BoardEffect approvals and polls in action

Learn how to capture responses and streamline collaboration with built‑in approvals, surveys and polls.

AI for mission‑driven boards: People, policy, and purpose

Nonprofit and public boards are beginning the AI conversation with clarity and care. See how they’re balancing innovation with mission, trust and transparency.

Elevate: The AI advantage for governance leaders

Elevate can reshape the way you work with AI — not by adding more to your plate, but by giving you the clarity, skills and confidence to use it where it matters most. You’ll walk out with a sharper workflow, a stronger sense of what’s possible and practical steps to move your organization forward. 

Come ready to learn. Leave ready to lead. See you in Atlanta, April 22–24, 2026 — 

Elevate 2026: Upskill on AI and AI governance

This article originally appeared in our January 15th edition of the Diligent Minute Newsletter. For more insights like these, delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe

After three quarters of near-record low confidence levels

, America’s boardrooms ended 2025 on a surprisingly hopeful note, even as directors brace for another demanding year. The latest 

, our quarterly survey of U.S. public company directors conducted with Corporate Board Member, shows sentiment rebounding sharply after three consecutive quarters at a five-year low throughout much of last year.

Why U.S. board confidence rebounded at the end of 2025

Confidence rose 23% in the final month of the year, climbing from 4.9 to 6.0 on a 10-point scale and finally nudging back into what respondents consider “good” territory. As a key driver behind the shift, directors point to:

In other words, after a year of policy whiplash, boards feel they at least understand the playing field a bit better - even if they don’t like it.

That late-year rally, however, shouldn’t be mistaken for a victory lap. For 2025 overall, average confidence registered just 5.0, well below 2024’s 6.2 and far short of the 6.9 directors had forecast a year ago.

Three quarters of respondents say tariffs were a primary reason conditions fell short of expectations, far outpacing any other factor. Their comments underscore how hard it is for boards to plan when rules change midgame; familiar playbooks don’t work when trade policy and enforcement shift repeatedly.

Tariffs, uncertainty and a new risk landscape

Directors in sectors long considered resilient

, like life sciences, describe this period as unlike anything they’ve seen in decades. Many point to deferred capital spending and elongated decision cycles as companies try to model scenarios that are, frankly, impossible to model with precision. That reality is reshaping how boards think about risk, resilience and the very nature of their oversight role.

Their outlook for business conditions by late 2026 is 6.0, essentially flat from today’s reading. CEOs, by contrast, are modestly more upbeat: in a parallel survey by Chief Executive, they project a 6% improvement to 6.4, and 44% say they expect conditions to improve, compared with 32% of directors. That gap is telling. CEOs are closest to near-term operations; boards are increasingly focused on longer-horizons, compounding risks.

Those directors who are optimistic tend to anchor their confidence in 

 seeing opportunities to transform productivity and reimagine business models. Among those who expect deterioration, concerns skew heavily toward macro and geopolitical risk, with uncertainty emerging as a dominant theme -— on par with inflation for many neutral respondents.

How boards can strengthen oversight and learning in 2026

directors emphasize adaptability, deeper engagement and faster learning, recognizing that they must connect dots across 

5 years of the Director Confidence Index: Tracking a more demanding role

This quarter also marks five years of fielding the Director Confidence Index, and we asked respondents how their roles have evolved since 2020.

Board members say they are spending far more time on risk in a “more complex and faster moving” environment, with cybersecurity, AI, geopolitical shocks, supply-chain integrity and policy volatility now standard agenda items. Many describe a shift from “managing the present” toward future-oriented scenario planning and strategic resilience, alongside heightened scrutiny from investors and activists that expands the mandate beyond financial performance to culture, human capital and corporate character.

Taken together, the picture is clear: being a director today is more time-intensive, strategically demanding and consequential than it was in 2020 and perhaps than it has ever been. One director distilled the 2026 playbook to three words: “Defend and survive.” I would add a fourth: learn. Boards that invest in learning about AI technology, geopolitics, regulation and stakeholder expectations will be best positioned not just to endure whatever comes next, but to help their organizations emerge stronger on the other side.

Boards brace for 2026: Confidence rebounds, risk looms 

This article originally appeared in our December 18th edition of the Diligent Minute Newsletter. For more insights like these, delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe 

As we close out 2025, I’ve been reflecting on what this year taught us and the word that comes to mind is “unprecedented.” Insights from the Diligent Institute’s research show how directors navigated multiple unprecedented challenges – often simultaneously – while also driving major change. The lessons we learned this year aren’t just a look back. They can be a compass pointing to the directional shifts boards will need to embrace as governance moves into a faster, more AI-enabled era.

Five governance shifts boards must prepare for in 2026

What will change: Boards will move beyond passive reporting and lean into more 

 Predictive analytics and scenario planning will become part of everyday conversations, helping directors navigate volatility before it hits.


Why? Director confidence hit historic lows in 2025. Our 

 conducted in partnership with Corporate Board Member, landed at just 4.8 out of 10, among the lowest since the pandemic. That’s a wake-up call for faster, smarter decision-making. If you’re curious whether sentiment is shifting, our Q4 results will be live by the time this issue hits your inbox. Check them out to see if optimism is making a comeback.

What will change: Dashboards won’t just summarize risks. They’ll surface them within hours, and crisis protocols will kick in during the first 72. AI-powered assurance will scan massive datasets to catch anomalies as they happen, and directors will be able to ask complex questions in plain language and get instant answers. Oversight will move from reacting after the fact to staying ahead of the curve, a fundamental change in risk management.

 7.9 out of 10. Quarterly updates aren’t enough anymore. Boards need early-warning systems and integrated intelligence to keep pace.

3) AI governance moves to the top of the agenda

What will change: Agentic AI is moving fast, from assisting to acting. Boards will need to build AI literacy, test for bias and keep humans in the loop to manage less visible risks.

Why: Two-thirds of directors used AI tools in 2025, but 

, 57% of respondents said their organizations had deployed AI in one or more areas of the business, but only 36% had audited usage.As AI deployment climbs higher on the priority list for 2026, closing this governance gap is critical.

4) Integration becomes a growth essential

What will change: M&A ambitions will stall without tech integration. Boards that prioritize scalable platforms will unlock faster, cleaner transactions and reduce risk during rapid growth periods as integration readiness becomes a board-level KPI.

 conducted in partnership with Wilson Sonsini and NetSuite, found only 4% of organizations had fully integrated GRC and financial systems.

What will change: Board agendas will shift toward forward-looking conversations powered by predictive analytics and cultural insights. Directors will widen their lens beyond financials to include culture and workforce resilience, using anonymized data to spot risks before they surface.

Why: The ability to anticipate, not just react, will define effective governance in 2026. Boards that lean on AI-driven scenario modeling and continuous feedback loops will stay aligned with fast-changing realities.

Turning 2025 board lessons into a 2026 action plan

2026 will reward boards that act, not just react. That means pairing human judgment with AI-driven foresight, embedding continuous assurance and integrating systems for scalability. Governance is moving from static to dynamic – and the boards that thrive will be ready to keep pace.

Check out the full blog on trends shaping governance in 2026.

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What’s new in Diligent Compliance: AI that brings clarity to third-party and compliance workflows

Elevate 2026: Upskill on AI and AI governance

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