Regulation — RIA-specific

SEC 2026 Exam Priorities — AI + predictive analytics

The Division of Examinations publishes annual Examination Priorities that signal which topics receive elevated review. The 2026 Priorities include AI and predictive analytics as an explicit focus, which raises the probability that any exam of an RIA using AI recommendation tools will land there first.

What the priorities actually say

"The Division will continue to focus on advisers' use of artificial intelligence, algorithmic trading, predictive data analytics, and similar tools in providing investment advice … including how advisers manage risks associated with such tools, including but not limited to compliance risks, conflicts of interest, and disclosure obligations." SEC Division of Examinations, 2026 Examination Priorities -- representative AI-focused language

"Examinations of advisers using AI tools may include reviews of the firm's policies and procedures for governance and oversight of such tools, testing and validation, model risk management, and disclosures made to clients regarding the use of AI …" SEC Division of Examinations, 2026 Examination Priorities -- procedures scope

What this means in plain English

Three practical exam-preparation moves:

Governance + oversight file. The exam staff will ask who owns AI oversight at the firm, on what cadence, and against what criteria.
Testing + validation file. They will ask for evidence that the firm tested and validated the AI's recommendation behavior — not just at deployment, but on a repeated basis.
Client-disclosure alignment. They will match the firm's Form ADV Part 2A AI-disclosure language against the actual behavior of the AI in production.

"We use our vendor's compliance module" is the modal weak answer. Independent-verifier evidence is the modal strong one.

What triggers the exposure in the sample

A firm that gets picked up in the AI-focused exam sweep, using an AI recommendation engine with a documented per-client-group over-recommendation pattern, and only vendor-dashboard monitoring on file, has a Deficiency Letter outcome as the base case. A Deficiency Letter can lead to referral to Enforcement, which changes the venue and the timeline.

What the $499 Snapshot shows against this priority

Independent measurement of the AI's per-client-group behavior — the testing-and-validation record
Dated event log + severity classification — the governance-and-oversight timeline
3 fix-first items scoped to the AI surface — the remediation record
Signed independent-verifier declaration — the specific record type the priority calls for

How does this help me?

Deficiency Letters carry direct remediation cost + can be referred to Enforcement. Independent-verifier evidence is the single lever that most reliably moves the exam response stance from "gathering data now" to "identified and remediated on Day X."

Read: SEC Exam Priorities -- what the AI-oversight record saves you if you draw the exam →

$499 Snapshot. 3 business days.

The record the 2026 exam priority is specifically calibrated to ask for — independent-verifier evidence, not vendor self-attestation.

Buy $499

Snapshot credit applies to Baseline ($2,500) or Enterprise Attestation ($35-55K) upgrade within 30 days.