AI revolutionizes customer-supplier relationships

Artificial intelligence (AI) has established itself as one of the most powerful drivers of transformation in the field of corporate compliance , which encompasses procedures and best practices for corporate regulatory compliance. In a business environment marked by regulatory complexity, the globalization of supply chains, and growing social pressure for transparency, AI is enabling organizations to automate controls, anticipate risks, and dynamically adapt their compliance policies. This advancement not only optimizes internal processes but also strengthens trust and collaboration with suppliers, opening up a new scenario in risk management and corporate governance.

According to Lucia Sánchez-Ocaña, director of global risks and sustainability at Qualitas Energy and vice president of the Spanish Compliance Association (ASCOM), it is essential to "monitor supplier compliance, as it represents one of the main risks if a proper prior analysis and monitoring of the business relationship is not conducted. The need for the technical factor to be able to assist in many administrative processes entails the oversight of controls."

In this regard, Javier Puyol, a lawyer and judge on leave, emphasizes that "comprehensive risk assessment is a central pillar of contemporary compliance management, and its scope cannot be limited to the internal organization. In a globalized context, the supply chain represents a critical area of risk exposure, since the ethical and legal behavior of suppliers can directly compromise the integrity, reputation, and legal liability of the contracting company."

AI has transformed compliance, making it more proactive and accessible. The reality is that technology is now merely the means; the end is a more ethical, sustainable, and competitive company . For Gonzalo Ruiz de Villa, Global Director of Technology at GFT Consulting, "artificial intelligence is opening up new opportunities in relationships with business suppliers. By facilitating the automation of controls, early risk detection, and dynamic policy adaptation, it optimizes processes, reinforces transparency, and strengthens supply chain relationships that bridge the gap between corporate responsibility and daily operations."

The new relationship between companies and their suppliers cannot deviate from the rigorous standards of EU law regarding data protection, probably the most demanding, comprehensive, and supervised in the world. In this regard, Sánchez-Ocaña does not believe that monitoring could pose a conflict, "since these are generally contractually regulated relationships that incorporate specific data protection clauses." Puyol considers it "a strategic and reputational necessity, and it can be carried out in full compliance with data protection principles through proportional, contractual, technological, and ethical measures."

The new compliance model has revolutionized the supplier-client relationship by requiring constant monitoring, an ethical commitment, and continuous adaptation to regulatory changes. For Óscar Jacobo Bacelo, senior lawyer in IP & Data Privacy at the global firm Ontier, "the use of tools that facilitate the automation of controls or their real-time monitoring, as enabled by the implementation of artificial intelligence solutions, is in principle lawful, as long as the contracting organization's access to personal data is covered by the service provision contract and does not exceed its scope." Teresa Mínguez, compliance officer and member of the governing board of the Madrid Bar Association (ICAM), emphasizes that "European data protection legislation allows and encourages monitoring of supplier compliance, provided that the principles of proportionality, privacy, and traceability are respected."

Thus, we are not only facing a technological challenge, but also a human and organizational one. Compliance in the 21st century is necessarily, experts agree, a space for dialogue between innovation and ethics, between efficiency and responsibility. And in this dialogue, artificial intelligence has much to contribute, but also much to learn from the experience, judgment, and values of the people who lead organizations. According to Javier Puyol, "Algorithmic transparency, and the need to explain how and why an AI system makes certain decisions, especially in sensitive sectors such as banking, healthcare, or human resources, equity and non-discrimination, or the need to avoid biases and unfair outcomes resulting from training AI models with historical data that reproduce situations of obvious inequality" are unavoidable.

Thus, Teresa Mínguez reflects, "these new governance models reflect an amplifying transition of the legal and compliance function, from the traditional legal defensive shield to a role that facilitates and protects reputational value, corporate resilience, and improving the company's competitive position in global markets. It is no longer just about preventing sanctions, but about building an internal culture of compliance, trust, and responsibility and providing companies with resilience tools and processes." This reality, Sánchez-Ocaña indicates, represents a transformation in the customer-supplier relationship, making it closer "since it is not established solely for operational and financial purposes." Ultimately, as Ruiz de Villa points out, "by implementing these tools with transparency toward suppliers, the relationship with them is strengthened while achieving ethical and efficient oversight of the supply chain."