Technology + Human Expertise: Together Enabling Efficient and Comprehensive Due Diligence
The logistics of capturing and sorting through due diligence findings have changed markedly in recent years. A vast amount of information about the average individual is readily available online, driven by the elimination of paper, ease of content creation, and explosion of mobile capture. This volume has the potential to become a challenge in the investment migration industry, where high net worth and ultra-high net worth investors often have a magnified online presence because of their reputation, philanthropy, and business activities.
Due diligence providers are increasingly using technology, specifically artificial intelligence (AI), to meet this challenge. The right AI tool can automate the routine tasks of data collection and categorization, reducing false positives and eliminating duplicates to save time. It can quickly search through thousands of sources in multiple languages, processing millions of data points to analyze risk, and then monitor for new red flags in real time.
But AI-powered due diligence solutions are only one piece of the puzzle, and do not replace human analysts. Ideally, human and artificial intelligence should collaborate seamlessly; AI can examine and filter through findings quickly and efficiently, while human resources use expertise to critically evaluate and analyze results. Analysts use cultural and jurisdictional knowledge to add context and value to uncovered information. They use their subject-matter expertise in a number of ways, such as evaluating media findings in the context of local press freedom and reliability of sources, reviewing and digging deeper into business affiliations in light of political exposure, and considering litigation findings alongside the cultural attitudes towards the use of courts to settle disputes. Analysts are able to tell a story that the reader can easily understand.
Finally, advanced due diligence training for program staff allows for in-depth analysis of due diligence reports. Residency and Citizenship by Investment (RCbI) programs obtain more value from due diligence reports on their applicants by engaging providers that are best able to bring together technology and human expertise to produce superior results. By pursuing advanced certifications and courses focused on due diligence for the RCbI industry and taught by experts in cultural context and risk-based approach, programs can arm their professionals with the necessary knowledge to confidently evaluate due diligence findings from third-party providers, better understand their methodology, and ask astute questions.
AI is changing the way due diligence is conducted, but human expertise and knowledge are still critical for both due diligence providers and RCbI programs. Subject matter and cultural experts use technology to efficiently gather data, and then add critical analysis to assemble the pieces into a story about the applicant. Opportunities for advanced due diligence training and certifications similarly allow programs and their professionals to gain a greater understanding of due diligence reports, critically evaluate the story being presented, and incorporate results into their internal risk analysis.
Author: Karen Kelly, Director, Strategy & Development, Exiger Diligence
