As HR compliance grows more complex in 2026, Nicole Roberts, Principal HR Industry Analyst at 3Sixty Insights, emphasizes a critical reality: compliance technology is only as effective as the expertise guiding it. In the HR Voices: 2026 Regulatory Transformations and Disruptions in HR Compliance report, developed with OutSolve, Nicole highlights the widening gap between tool adoption and practitioner judgment. As organizations deploy more automation across HR and compliance workflows, validating outputs with experienced human oversight becomes essential.
Nicole’s contribution centers on the operational risks emerging from overreliance on systems alone. “Tools can’t replace expertise,” she explains, noting that compliance teams must still interpret signals, validate decisions, and understand regulatory nuance beyond what dashboards and alerts can provide. This perspective reflects what many HR leaders are experiencing: technology can scale compliance activity, but it cannot independently ensure compliance readiness.
She also points to the growing risk of “shadow AI” across HR organizations, where employees use unsanctioned AI tools without governance or data safeguards. As Nicole notes in the report, shadow AI can quietly expose workforce and candidate data without organizations realizing it.
Her message is clear: the future of HR compliance will belong to organizations that pair intelligent technology adoption with strong internal expertise, governance, and human judgment.
Read the Full Report: HR Voices 2026 Regulatory Transformations and Disruptions in HR Compliance