Thomas Fox
Podcaster, The Voice of Compliance, founder of the Compliance Podcast Network and co-founder of the Texas Hill Country Podcast Network.
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Articles by Thomas Fox
The Reverse Information Paradox: The role of compliance in AI governance
Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella recently posted an article titled The Reverse Information Paradox. In his piece, he referenced Kenneth Arrow’s famous “Information Paradox,” which identified a basic problem in the market for knowledge. It is that the “value for the purchaser is not known until he has the information, but then he has in effect acquired it without cost.” However, the seller risks giving away knowledge in order to sell it.
The hidden compliance cost of building AI-based AML tools in-house
There is a dangerous phrase that too many compliance officers have heard from the business or technology function: “We can build that internally.” On its face, the statement sounds practical. It suggests control, customization, and cost savings. Yet when the subject is AML risk assessment technology, that phrase should set off governance alarms across the compliance, risk, audit, and Board functions. This topic was recently explored in an article in FinTech Global.
AI, Data, and the Compliance Mandate: Lessons from APAC
I recently came across Digital Realty’s The State of Data and AI in Asia Pacific. This report makes clear that across APAC, 65 percent of surveyed companies are actively executing a formal data strategy for current or planned IT locations, and 67 percent are actively executing a formal AI strategy tied to operational efficiency, new business offerings, or both. Nearly half have already deployed and monetized a trained AI model.
The Tower of Babel and compliance role in AI governance
Recently, Pope Leo XIV issued his first Papal Encyclical Letter, titled Magnifica Humanitas “On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence.” The document places AI within the long tradition of Catholic social teaching and asks how humanity should respond to the “new things” of the digital age. I wanted to review it from a compliance angle.
A compliance farewell to Barney Frank
Barney Frank died Tuesday at the age of 86. Few Congressmen’s names are associated with generational financial reform, and Barney Frank is one of them. His name will stand alongside his bill co-sponsor, Chris Dodd, and alongside Paul Sarbanes and Michael Oxley, co-sponsors of the Enron era legislation Sarbanes-Oxley Act, forever immortalized as SOX, as harbingers of key components of a 21st-century compliance program.
AI governance: The new compliance imperative
Artificial intelligence has moved from the innovation lab to the operating core of the modern enterprise. That shift has profound implications for corporate compliance professionals. AI is no longer simply a technology issue for the CIO, a legal issue for the general counsel, or a cybersecurity issue for the CISO. It is now a governance issue, a controls issue, a culture issue, and, most importantly, a compliance issue.
AI, finance and the new compliance mandate in APAC
The latest Wolters Kluwer 2026 Future Ready CFO Report for APAC tells a story that compliance professionals should read carefully. While the report focuses on finance leaders across Asia Pacific (APAC), the real lesson for compliance is much broader: artificial intelligence is no longer a future-state technology discussion. It is now an operating model, risk management, governance, and controls issue. For CCOs, that means AI must move from the innovation agenda to the compliance agenda.
MAS’s agentic AI playbook offers a governance lesson for every regulated industry
One of the most important developments in AI governance this year did not come from Washington, Brussels, or London. It came from Singapore. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has released an AI Risk Management Toolkit for financial institutions, with a central operational handbook designed to help firms govern not only traditional AI and generative AI, but also agentic AI. That last category matters.
GSA’s draft AI Clause turns governance into a contractual mandate
For months, much of the AI governance conversation has lived in strategy papers, ethics principles, and board presentations. The General Services Administration’s proposed AI contract clause changes that. If adopted, GSAR 552.239-7001 would make AI governance a hard contractual requirement for companies selling AI capabilities to the federal government, with significant implications for compliance officers, legal teams, procurement leaders, and third-party risk professionals.
An appreciation of CW’s data and research journalist, Aly McDevitt
One of the best things about writing for Compliance Week is reading the fabulous work by my colleagues. For me, CW data and research journalist Aly McDevitt has always stood out as someone whose work in reporting on and writing the Compliance Week case studies is work I have greatly admired. This week, Aly McDevitt announced on LinkedIn that after six years at Compliance Week, she is stepping away to focus on raising her three young children.
The AI On-Ramp: How compliance can prepare to implement AI
In 2026, many compliance officers are hearing the same line in more and more executive leadership team (ELT) meetings: “We want AI implemented this year.” The phrase sounds reassuring, as if time itself will do the work. It will not. If you are at the table now, you have a narrow window to shape how AI enters your company: as a governed capability aligned to business objectives, or as a collection of tools that quietly create bias exposure, privacy incidents, and intellectual property headaches.
When AI Is Forced on Compliance: The ECCP as your Guide
When AI Is Forced on Compliance: The ECCP as your Guide By Tom Fox2026-02-06T15:34:00 The email arrives with no warning. The business has selected an AI platform. IT is already integrating it, and a pilot is underway. The Board of Directors is on board and enthusiastic. The Chief Compliance Officer has been asked to “provide governance” within one week. Where do you begin? I think the answer is straightforward.
Six AI questions compliance officers must answer in 2026
I recently saw an article in Bloomberg in which Catherine Thorbecke said there were six questions she wanted answered about AI in 2026. I have adapted her questions for a compliance professional to ask about their compliance program in 2026. Artificial intelligence moved from novelty to operational reality faster than most corporate compliance programs were prepared to handle.
Navigating Corporate Ethics and Compliance Trends in 2026 with Mike Volkov, Part 2
Welcome to the award-winning FCPA Compliance Report, the longest-running podcast in compliance. In this inaugural episode of 2026, Tom Fox welcomes back his good friend and colleague, Mike Volkov, to reflect on the tumultuous year of 2025 and discuss the new trends for the upcoming year. This is Part 2 of a two-part series.
FINRA’s GenAI wake-up call: What compliance professionals must do now
FINRA’s rules are intended to be technologically neutral. They apply when companies use GenAI or similar technologies in their businesses, just as they apply when companies use any other technology or tool. But what does that mean for a compliance professional using GenAI? Generative artificial intelligence has moved from experiment to enterprise tool with remarkable speed. In the FINRA 2026 Annual Regulatory Oversight Report, FINRA makes clear that GenAI is no longer a future consideration.
What the Copilot Usage Report 2025 Means for Corporate Compliance
Microsoft’s Copilot Usage Report 2025 offers compliance professionals a rare, data-driven look at how artificial intelligence is actually being used by millions of people, rather than how organizations assume it is being used. For corporate compliance programs, these findings underscore a critical reality: AI risk is increasingly behavioral, contextual, and human-centered, demanding governance frameworks that reflect real-world use, not theoretical controls.
Kristy Grant-Hart on the Evolution of Compliance in 2026: Navigating New Risks and Regulations
Welcome to the award-winning FCPA Compliance Report, the longest running podcast in compliance. In this episode, Tom welcomes Kristy Grant-Hart, Head of Advisory Services at Diligent's Spark Compliance Group to discuss where compliance has been in 2025 and where it is going into 2026. Tom Fox and Khristy Grant-Hart explore the future of corporate compliance in 2026 and beyond.
The FCPA’s origin story: Why “Bribery Beyond Borders” is essential reading
The FCPA’s origin story: Why “Bribery Beyond Borders” is essential reading By Tom Fox2025-12-08T22:04:00 I have often thought the facts of many Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement actions would make the basis for a great series of crime-thriller books. But it turns out the origins of the FCPA itself are as dynamic, fast-paced and exciting as any such work of fiction.
Nicole Di Schino on Harnessing AI for Compliance: Governance, Risks, and Best Practices
Welcome to the award-winning FCPA Compliance Report, the longest running podcast in compliance. In this episode, Tom welcomes Nicole Di Schino, Principal Compliance Services Consultant at Diligent's Spark Compliance Group to consider how to best harness AI for your compliance regime into 2026 and beyond. Nicole and Tom discuss the critical importance of AI governance, compliance, and modern GRC.
The AI audit burden: Why ‘Explainable AI’ is the key
AI decisions are only defensible when the reasoning behind them is visible, traceable, and auditable. “Explainable AI” delivers that visibility, turning black-box outputs into documented logic that compliance officers can stand behind when regulators, auditors, or stakeholders demand answers.
The rise of the AI compliance officer
In a recent Bloomberg article, Whitney Ford raised the need for an “AI Compliance Officer.” Ford believes that such a role is suited to a corporate legal department. However, I believe such a role is more suited for a compliance professional. I believe that every Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) and compliance function needs to lead the compliance response. As artificial intelligence transforms how businesses operate, regulators around the world are responding with speed and precision.
Virna Di Palma on The Evolution of Third-Party Risk Management and the Role of AI
Welcome to the award-winning FCPA Compliance Report, the longest running podcast in compliance. In this episode, Tom welcomes Verna di Palma, Head of Global Content and Brand at Ethixbase360. Verna provides insights into her extensive background in third-party risk management, focusing on FCPA compliance and the evolution of due diligence.
Self-Disclosure on Both Sides of the Atlantic
Join Tom Fox as he welcomes Simon Airey and Caitlin Sheard, partners at McDermott, Will and Schulte and both experts in the fields of investigation and compliance from both sides of the Atlantic. They take a deep dive into issues around self-disclosure on both sides of the Atlantic.
What compliance can learn from a 95 percent AI pilot failure rate
Compliance professionals have long known that systems fail when governance does. An MIT study’s finding that 95 percent of enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) pilots fail underscores how essential compliance-grade discipline is to the success of emerging technologies.
AI adoption without trust: A call for compliance professionals
AI adoption without trust: A call for compliance professionals By Tom Fox2025-09-16T18:39:00 Employees are adopting AI faster than companies can build policies, governance, and training. That gap creates compliance exposure in areas from data privacy to shadow IT to workplace equity. What strategies can compliance professionals adopt to handle this growing problem?
A friend for the compliance officer: Co-thinking with AI
A friend for the compliance officer: Co-thinking with AI By Tom Fox2025-09-03T11:37:00 At their core, compliance officers are problem-solvers. They wrestle with thorny questions every day: How do we implement a global gifts-and-entertainment policy across jurisdictions with vastly different cultural norms? How do we balance business pressures with anti-corruption obligations? How do we address new risks like AI itself?
Trekking Through Compliance
In this podcast series Tom Fox explores compliance through the lens of Star Trek – The Original Series in a 79-episode offering, movies and contemporary television shows. Each podcast reviews the episode creative team, story synopsis and three key lessons learned on compliance, leadership and governance. If you love Star Trek, this is the podcast series for you.
Popcorn and Compliance
Do you love the movies? Are you passionate about compliance? If the answer to one or both of those questions is Yes; this is the podcast series for you. In Popcorn and Compliance, recovering screenwriter Jay Rosen and Tom Fox, the Voice of Compliance take a look at contemporary and classic movies for compliance, business, life lessons and much more.
FCPA Compliance Report
The FCPA Compliance Report is the longest running podcast in the in compliance and business ethics. Join its award-winning host, Tom Fox, the Voice of Compliance as he visits with top compliance practitioners, key figures from business, the government and law firms in the top podcast dedicated to all things compliance.
Excellence in Training
How can you create a best-in-class compliance training regime? If you struggle with that question, his is the podcast for you. Join Tom Fox, the Voice of Compliance and Compliance Evangelist and Shawn Rogers to explore this question and others around training. Rogers is Senior Director, Global Ethics and Compliance – Training and Awareness at Walmart and builds out the company’s compliance and training functions.
Building Your Own AI Assistant: Compliance Lessons in Customization
In the ever-changing world of compliance, resource constraints remain one of our biggest hurdles. Whether you’re drafting policies, conducting risk assessments, or preparing investigation summaries, the work is often repetitive, labor-intensive, and subject to tight deadlines. Enter the AI assistant, not as a futuristic dream, but as a practical, buildable tool available to compliance professionals right now.
AI governance, agentic misalignment and the lessons from ‘Star Trek’
Does sci-fi predict the future of compliance or simply provide commentary on the current state of compliance? What is the role of corporate compliance around AI governance? To answer these questions, I looked to one of the great TV Sci-Fi series, Star Trek: The Original Series, and an episode, “The Ultimate Computer.” In the episode, a computer with generative AI(GenAI) and machine learning capabilities goes awry due to insufficient governance.
Daily Compliance News
Start your morning with Tom Fox, the Compliance Evangelist, and Voice of Compliance, who updates you on what is happening in the world of compliance. In five minutes, Tom reviews four top compliance, corruption, or business ethics stories you need to start your day. Grab a cup of copy, and stay in the loop!
Compliance and Coronavirus
The worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 has altered the business and social landscape across the globe. But what does it mean for the compliance professional? This podcast series will explore all things coronavirus related and bring the most up-to-date information to you on how to continue the doing of compliance throughout this international health crisis.
The Impact of Secondary Tariffs on Global Trade with Mike Huneke and Brent Carlson
Welcome to the award-winning FCPA Compliance Report, the longest-running podcast in compliance. In this episode, Tom Fox welcomes back Mike Huneke and Brent Carlson, who help us navigate the implications of secondary tariffs, focusing on recent developments following the President's announcement.
Compliance Tip of the Day: Building a Data-Driven Culture | JD Supra
February 10, 2025 To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog: Welcome to “Compliance Tip of the Day,” the podcast where we bring you daily insights and practical advice on navigating the ever-evolving landscape of compliance and regulatory requirements. Whether you’re a seasoned compliance professional or just starting your journey, we aim to provide bite-sized, actionable tips to help you stay on top of your compliance game.
FCPA Compliance Report: Workplace Culture and Compliance with Alejandra Almonte and Ann Sultan | JD Supra
Welcome to the award-winning FCPA Compliance Report, the longest-running podcast on compliance. In this episode, Tom welcomes Alejandra Almonte and Ann Sultan, both Members of Miller & Chevalier, and uses the EEOC’s release in 2024 of its Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace as an introduction to considering compliance and the workplace under the new Trump Administration.
Daily Compliance News: February 10, 2025 The For Immediate Compliance Edition | JD Supra
Welcome to the Daily Compliance News. Each day, Tom Fox, the Voice of Compliance, brings you compliance-related stories to start your day. Sit back, enjoy a cup of morning coffee, and listen in to the Daily Compliance News—all from the Compliance Podcast Network. Each day, we consider four stories from the business world: compliance, ethics, risk management, leadership, or general interest for the compliance professional. Top stories include: • FEMA must call immigrants ‘illegal aliens’.
Sunday Book Review: February 9, 2025, The Business Fairness at Work Edition | JD Supra
February 9, 2025 To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog: In the Sunday Book Review, Tom Fox considers books that would interest the compliance professional, the business executive, or anyone who might be curious. These could be books about business, compliance, history, leadership, current events, or anything else that might interest Tom. Today, we look at books on fairness in business. 1. Make Work Fair, by Iris Bohnet and Siri Chilazi 2.
2 Gurus Talk Compliance - Episode 45 - The Snow in Florida Edition | JD Supra
What happens when two top compliance commentators get together? They talk compliance, of course. Join Tom Fox and Kristy Grant-Hart in 2 Gurus Talk Compliance as they discuss the latest compliance issues in this week’s episode! Stories This Week Include: 1. DEI-reframing, not retreating. (FT) and WVA replaces DEI with “Dept. of Engagement and Compliance”. (12WBOY) 2. Trafigura and ex-COO were convicted of bribery. (Bloomberg) 3. How Binance is ensuring compliance. (CoinPedia) 4. The CCO Departure Bonus.
Regulatory Ramblings: Episode 62 - The Green Belt and Road Initiative/Open-Source Intelligence & Non-English Language Online Research with Dr. Oriol Caudevilla and Skip Schiphorst | Thomas Fox - Compliance Evangelist - JDSupra
In the first part of this episode in our Regulatory Ramblings Spotlight section, we’ll speak with legal scholar Dr. Oriol Caudevilla on the green aspects of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI, as it is more colloquially known.
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