Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has become embedded in day-to-day activity across financial services, with 61% of professionals now using AI tools daily, research from Smarsh revealed.
The study highlighted a sharp rise in AI-driven content creation, with 69% of respondents reporting increased output.
AI is now widely used across core business functions, including call notes and summaries, reporting, client communications and even compliance documentation.
Adoption is being led by younger professionals, although usage is now firmly cross-generational, reinforcing how quickly AI has become a standard part of workflows.
However, this rapid uptake is creating new governance challenges.
Only 32% of professionals said their organisation’s monitoring systems can fully detect risks linked to AI-generated content, exposing potential compliance vulnerabilities.
The findings also suggested that review processes may not be keeping pace, with fewer than half of respondents saying they consistently and thoroughly check AI-generated outputs before they are shared externally.
This raises concerns given the growing use of AI in regulated communications, including customer interactions and compliance-related documentation.
Despite these risks, the research pointed to a clear appetite for stronger oversight.
A significant majority of professionals say they would feel more confident using AI tools if organisations had robust monitoring in place, indicating that compliance frameworks are viewed as an enabler rather than a barrier to adoption.
Paul Taylor, vice president of product at Smarsh, said: “Financial institutions are rapidly adopting generative AI to meet growing demands for faster, more personalized client engagement—but this shift is creating an unprecedented volume and complexity of communications.
“Compliance leaders are now under pressure to ensure every AI-assisted interaction is transparent, supervised, and defensible.
“Firms need the ability to capture and govern these communications across all channels, or they risk introducing critical blind spots at a time when regulatory scrutiny is intensifying.
“Getting this right isn’t just about risk mitigation—it’s about enabling innovation with confidence.”