Why AI Won’t Replace Compliance Officers

In a previous article, we explored why compliance should be part of your product from day one, and how compliance isn’t just about regulation, it’s about building smarter, safer, and more scalable systems.

But a new question came up during our ComPilot workshop at Paris Blockchain Week that felt just as urgent:

“With AI advancing so fast, is it risky to pursue a career as an AML officer? Won’t the job be automated in five or ten years?”

A fair question and one that sparked a powerful response from our panel of experts.

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AI Can Help, But It Can’t Replace

Cécile Henry, Head of Compliance & Legal at Meria and Deskoin, was quick to respond:

“No. Not at all.”

She explained that while tools have evolved over the years, what makes a good AML officer is still deeply human:

“AI will never replace the investigation a human can do, the instinct, the nuance, the tiny detail in a video or document that triggers a gut feeling. AI can support us, but not replace us.”

In short: AI can scan for red flags, but it doesn’t know what makes you raise an eyebrow.

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Compliance Is About Thinking Beyond The Rules Instead Of Just Following Them

Delphine Forma, Head of Policy Europe at Solidus Labs, shared a real-world anecdote:

“This weekend, I tried using ChatGPT to help with a compliance task, just to save time. It was rubbish. I lost hours.”

She laughed, but the message was clear: AI isn’t ready to take the wheel.

“You still need someone thinking strategically. Someone who sees the full picture and understands the trade-offs. That’s not something AI can do, not yet.”

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Responsibility Needs a Human Face

And André Dibé, co-founder and CEO of Kamea Labs, closed the loop with a reminder about accountability:

“In the end, it's a question of responsibility. If there’s a problem, a human has to explain what happened.”

AI may help with alerts and automation. But when something goes wrong, compliance isn’t just a system, it’s a signature.

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The Future Isn’t “Compliance or AI”, It’s Compliance with AI

AI will absolutely reshape how compliance is done, just like Excel did, just like transaction monitoring tools did.

But what came through loud and clear in this session is that the core of compliance is still human. It’s about:

• Judgment
  
  
• Context
  
  
• Accountability
  
  

In other words: AI is here to help you scale, not to replace you.

At ComPilot, that’s exactly how we think about our product: automating the repetitive stuff so compliance professionals can focus on what really matters, the big picture, the hard calls, the strategy.

Want to learn how ComPilot supports human-first compliance teams in fast-scaling Web3 businesses? Book a demo or explore the rest of our Paris Blockchain Week content on our blog.

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