rewrite this title UC Compliance in 2026: Why Emerging Channels and AI are the New Risk Frontier

Organizations face mounting pressure to manage compliance across an ever-expanding landscape of collaboration platforms, messaging apps, and AI-driven tools.  

New research from Metrigy, alongside insight from Global Relay, highlights where organizations are most exposed and what steps UC leaders must take to stay ahead in 2026. 

According to the study, over 68 percent of organizations say voice remains an essential channel, illustrating that compliance challenges aren’t limited to messaging and AI – they span every communication modality.  

As unified communications evolve, businesses are adopting AI-driven transcription, summarization, and automated content creation, all of which increase the volume of regulated information that must be monitored and retained. 

Another key trend observed is the rapid growth of communication channels within organizations.  

Tim Ward, Product Marketing Specialist at Global Relay, explains: “Employees are constantly hopping between approved apps and unsanctioned platforms.”  

“If you don’t provide compliant solutions that integrate into their workflow, they’ll find their own alternatives.”

He highlights that this movement isn’t just limited to messaging apps.  

Collaboration platforms now include AI assistants, automated meeting transcription, and content summarization, all of which generate regulated information that must be monitored and retained. 

Irwin Lazar, President and Principal Analyst at Metrigy, emphasizes that this proliferation of tools creates new supervisory challenges. 

“Organizations are mostly concerned now about how they capture AI-generated output – from meeting transcripts and summaries of messages to documents, presentations, and even graphics.”

The pace at which AI is embedded in workflows often outstrips the speed of compliance preparation. Organizations need to plan for accuracy, classification, and retention of this content before deployment, rather than retrofitting solutions afterward. 

Balancing Compliance and Productivity 

Overly restrictive policies may seem like a safe option, but they often backfire. Employees under time pressure or facing tight deadlines may circumvent restricted tools, introducing potential data leakage and security breaches. 

Ward points out that technology alone isn’t sufficient: 

“You can have the right platforms in place, but if employees don’t understand why policies exist or the risks of going off channel, they’ll find workarounds. Continuous education is critical.” 

Organizations that succeed in 2026 will focus on both technology and the human element. Providing intuitive, compliant tools integrated into daily workflows reduces the likelihood of off-channel communication. This approach also improves user adoption and supports productivity, even in heavily regulated industries. 

Lazar adds that companies should not only monitor usage but also engage employees proactively: 

“Explaining the consequences of non-compliance for the firm, its clients, and the individual helps employees make better decisions in high-pressure situations.” 

This balanced strategy ensures that compliance does not come at the expense of collaboration. 

AI and Voice: New Frontiers of Risk 

Artificial intelligence is both a productivity enabler and a compliance headache. As AI generates transcripts, summaries, and presentations automatically, organizations must ensure that content is captured and classified accurately. 

Lazar explains:  

“A flawed transcript or misclassified summary can introduce compliance risk just as easily as a missing record.”

Beyond AI content, voice communications remain a critical component of regulated workflows. Recent technology advances allow organizations to analyze far larger volumes of voice interactions than ever before. 

“With the right infrastructure, AI-powered surveillance can reduce false positives and provide clear signals about emerging risks,” Ward says. 

For organizations in finance, pharma, or energy, this capability is becoming indispensable.  

Automated analysis of voice communications can alert compliance teams to potential misconduct before it escalates, rather than relying on manual review of sampled calls. 

Strategic Oversight and the Compliance Advantage 

High-performing organizations treat compliance as a strategic capability rather than a reactive measure.  

They involve security, risk, and compliance teams early in platform evaluation, ensuring that emerging tools meet all requirements before deployment. 

Lazar notes: “Centralized repositories for multi-vendor environments allow consistent policies across all applications, making it easier to adopt new tools without repeating compliance debates.” 

Regular audits and third-party validation further strengthen oversight. These organizations also recognize that compliance data itself can yield business insights. 

“By responsibly analyzing conversation data, firms can identify workflow bottlenecks, flag potential customer service issues, and proactively mitigate risk,” Lazar says. 

Integrating these insights allows companies to improve operations, support employees, and maintain trust with customers and regulators alike. 

Preparing for 2026 and Beyond 

The UC compliance landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by AI, new collaboration tools, and the need for real-time oversight.  

Organizations that treat compliance as an enabler, rather than a blocker, will gain a strategic advantage. 

As Ward sums up:  

“Compliance isn’t about restricting tools – it’s about enabling employees to do their jobs safely and efficiently while meeting all regulatory obligations.”

By investing in scalable technology, engaging employees continuously, and embedding compliance early in application selection and rollout, organizations can manage risk without slowing collaboration.  

In the years ahead, those who strike this balance will lead the way in secure, agile, and efficient communication.