In today's interconnected business landscape, organisations face mounting pressure to manage a growing network of third-party relationships effectively. Traditional approaches to Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) are struggling to keep pace, creating a gap between the need for robust risk mitigation and the ability to achieve it.
Our latest pulse survey explores the rise of AI in TPRM, highlighting key findings and opportunities for leveraging AI to enhance agility, cost-effectiveness, and resilience in managing third-party risks. Despite early stages of adoption, organisations are ambitious about embracing intelligent automation to build more agile TPRM frameworks.
The survey, covering 338 respondents, was conducted between December 2024 and February 2025. Participants responsible for TPRM in organisations of various sizes across 12 countries in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and Asia Pacific (APAC) contributed to the findings.
Key findings:
Organisations are prioritising AI investments that deliver greater efficiency, more effective third-party management, and enhanced decision-making to mitigate growing financial exposure from third-party incidents.
Despite low maturity levels, leadership teams are ambitious about embracing intelligent automation, while managing both the risks of AI within their organisations and those arising from third-party AI usage.
Respondents believe that dynamic inherent risk assessment and due diligence offer the greatest potential for efficiency and effectiveness improvement through intelligent automation.
Combining managed services solutions with enhanced in-house capability development, including ongoing tech investment, appears to be the most favoured approach, prioritising high-impact risk domains.
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Future outlook
AI adoption in TPRM is expected to increase, driven by the need for efficiency, accuracy, and proactive risk management. Organisations are actively planning to implement AI-powered solutions, balancing the ambition for innovation with the need for robust risk mitigation and governance frameworks. Focused investment in AI-powered TPRM platforms and tools will empower teams with advanced analytics, automation capabilities, and real-time risk intelligence.
