As part of Data Privacy Week 2026, the CyberTech Top Voice program hosted ABBYY’s Chief Compliance Officer, Roman Kilun, exploring how data privacy priorities are evolving across global enterprises.

In this discussion, Sudipto Ghosh, Head of Global Marketing at Intent Amplify, leads the dialogue—probing Roman on the real-world challenges organizations are facing today. From fragmented regulatory landscapes and cross-border data flows to AI-driven privacy risks and accountability at scale, the discussion captures how privacy leaders are navigating complexity in an increasingly automated world.

Drawing on hands-on experience across regions and industries, Roman offers a global, practitioner’s perspective—moving the conversation beyond compliance checklists to explore how forward-looking organizations are embedding privacy into strategy, technology, and trust-building efforts as expectations continue to rise in 2026.

Here’s what Roman shared with our team.

Hi Roman, welcome to the CyberTech Top Voice program. As part of our Data Privacy Week special, how are data privacy priorities evolving in 2026—and what’s fundamentally different from previous years?

Data Privacy Week 2026 is a great time to gain visibility and control over your data, especially as more employees tend to share company data with GenAI tools like ChatGPT, CoPilot and others.  As AI evolves faster than security and compliance officers can keep up, recognizing that privacy is foundational to trust and long-term growth is critical. With the rise of GenAI and agentic automation, our focus must reach beyond just innovation; it must include controls that safeguard proprietary company data, minimize exposure, and ensure explainability and accountability within the AI systems we use and deploy.

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What is the role of AI, automation, and governance in scaling privacy responsibly?

In the latest ABBYY GenAI Confessions survey, 22% of IT decision makers admitted they did not have proper governance for AI in place. That leaves companies open to unnecessary vulnerabilities. Governance needs to take a more central role in putting controls for model risk management, enterprise data accessibility, and KYC compliance. For AI automation specifically, additional technologies are recommended, such as retrieval augmentation generation (RAG) and document AI, to improve LLM accuracy. 

Please explain the idea of “privacy” as a driver of trust, brand value, and long-term growth.

Privacy is more than a regulatory requirement—it’s a competitive advantage. Consumers and stakeholders increasingly value transparency and accountability, and organizations that prioritize privacy are rewarded with enhanced trust, brand loyalty, and sustainable growth. In an age where information is a strategic asset, protecting data isn’t just good governance—it’s good business.

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What are the key challenges or lessons your organization has seen globally in data privacy management? What is your agenda for the Data Privacy Week 2026?

One of the biggest challenges we’ve observed is the temptation to apply a GenAI model to every problem. This approach often overlooks the legal, privacy, and compliance constraints tied to sensitive or copyrighted data. The solution lies in matching AI design to the task at hand.

Purpose-built systems like ABBYY Document AI avoid the pitfalls of general-purpose models, enabling organizations to extract value from data while safeguarding sensitive data and ensuring compliance.

In 2026, AI and data privacy practices require a combination of proactive governance, purpose-built technology, and a commitment to ethical practices. By implementing the proper tools and taking control of their data, organizations can not only meet today’s challenges but also build a foundation for trust in the future.

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Thank you, Roman, for participating in the CyberTech Insights Top Voice Interview series. We look forward to speaking with you again soon!

To participate in our interviews, please write to our CyberTech Media Room at info@intentamplify.com