John O’Connell Published in Wealth Management: No New Rules Doesn’t Mean No Examination

John O’Connell authored this article for Wealth Management Magazine where he discusses the lack of AI governance from the SEC and provides a list of 5 things that RIA firms should build before June 2026.

The SEC is not producing new artificial intelligence-specific rules for investment advisors anytime soon. The commission is shorthanded, the chair is deregulatory by conviction, and the Administrative Procedure Act sets a floor on rulemaking timelines that no amount of political will can compress below 18 months. That is not a reason to relax. It is a reason to pay attention to the risk you are already carrying under the frameworks that exist right now.

There is a due diligence question that more institutional clients and sophisticated prospects are asking in 2026: how does your firm govern its AI use? The firms that can answer that question with a coherent, documented program are winning business the unprepared firm loses. It is not a compliance advantage. It is a trust advantage.