Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how organizations operate, creating new opportunities alongside growing compliance, regulatory, and ethical challenges. In a recent webinar hosted by Seattle University School of Law’s Online Master of Legal Studies in Compliance & Risk Management program, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs Kelli Rodriguez sat down with program alum and compliance professional Melanie Myjak to discuss the evolving role of AI governance and what organizations need to know now.
With decades of experience in financial services, risk management, compliance, ethics, and audit services, Melanie shared practical insights into how organizations are approaching AI adoption while balancing oversight, accountability, and risk management. “The technology is moving at such a rapid pace that we need to be prepared, understand what it is and what the implications are, and decide what we can do within our institutions and organizations to make sure we’re not misstepping,” Melanie stated.
Theories and frameworks on AI are developing within the compliance space; the Seattle University MLS program provided Melanie with some context for this emerging topic. “The regulations are really lagging,” she reports, “And one of the biggest challenges is staying on top of technological changes and remaining compliant while regulations struggle to keep pace. We need to be very proactive.”
Ethics AI Adoption
“Ethics is the ground floor,” Melanie says, “Without frameworks from regulatory bodies, we need to rest upon our ethical principles. Start in the right place, such as protecting consumer data and privacy. Ethics should be the governing framework we build all of these programs upon.”
Ethical AI adoption means discussing these questions:
- Who owns ethical oversight of AI tools?
- How do you handle bias, transparency, or explainability concerns?
- Is ethics embedded in governance frameworks or treated separately?
Oversight governance committees, such as boards or auditors, play a major role in setting an ethical tone and creating guardrails. Legal departments, information technology, and third parties are all part of the process. “Everyone owns a piece of the ethical duty; everyone must understand the implications and maintain accountability.”
Melanie singles out the lack of preparation as one of the biggest issues that she’s encountered, especially concerning data privacy. Exhaustive testing must happen before an institution even introduces AI, because inadequate testing can mean significant discriminatory outputs and disparate impacts. Some companies also have no plan in place to respond if something goes wrong, meaning that an issue can quickly spiral from minor to catastrophic.
Compliance Professionals in the AI Space
“Understanding the frameworks of risk management is a key skill for compliance professionals,” Melanie says. “Fundamentally, you must have an understanding of what these frameworks are and how to design them to detect the issues we may have in AI implementation.” It’s also important to be very analytical and adaptable, and stay up to date with developments in the tech space.
Compliance professionals are the communication hub of a company, asking all relevant questions to mitigate risk. They play a crucial role in a company’s considerations and plans for AI implementation. Melanie is “hopeful that the leaders of these institutions realize the importance of compliance professionals having a seat at the table, navigating these risks and potential pitfalls.”
Building a Career in Compliance
For a successful career in this field, focus on having a strong understanding of compliance and risk management fundamentals. Of course, remember that ethics remains at the heart of the job. “Believe in the philosophy and premise of these programs,” Melanie reminds, “and communicate their impact.”
Seattle University School of Law is the right starting point. “I can’t speak enough about how great this program is,” Melanie says. “I’m grateful that I stumbled upon it years ago, because I think it’s really helped bolster my learning throughout my career and lifted me to another level.”
One of the things Seattle takes pride in? Structuring its program to best benefit students who are also working professionals, providing them with that foundational understanding of the field in their first year of study. “What is really important to us is that you have the skills to move through your career even as the law changes and evolves,” Kelli explains. Ultimately, the online MLS in Compliance and Risk Management is a curated degree program specifically meant to prepare you for a rewarding future in the industry.
Contact Kelli at mls@seattleu.edu to learn more and get started.
