Is Technology putting your license at risk
The regulatory landscape has undergone a seismic shift. Digital transformation isn’t just changing how we work, it’s revolutionizing how regulators monitor, evaluate, and enforce professional standards across all licensed fields.
Today we explore the powerful technological tools that have become standard for regulatory agencies. Case management systems have gone digital, records are electronic, and some agencies are even exploring AI monitoring capabilities. This means your compliance (or lack thereof) can be evaluated in seconds rather than days or weeks. For license holders, this creates both vulnerability and opportunity.
Social media has emerged as particularly treacherous territory. Every post, comment, and reaction leaves a digital footprint that can be screenshot and used in complaints. As professional license defense attorney Tony Bertolino shares, licensing boards increasingly treat social media conduct with the same scrutiny as in-person professional behavior. What might seem like harmless venting online could be interpreted as unprofessional conduct by your board.
AI tools present another frontier of concern. While many professionals experiment with AI for drafting reports or documentation, these technologies create serious risks around confidentiality and accuracy. We emphasize how professionals remain fully responsible for AI-generated content they use, a lesson some attorneys have learned the hard way through court sanctions when AI-produced citations proved fictitious.
To thrive in this new digital environment, we must embrace compliance as a culture rather than a checkbox exercise, stay informed about evolving regulations, and actively engage in the regulatory process. The professionals who will succeed are those who adapt quickly, build compliance into their daily practices, and aren’t afraid to connect with their regulators.
What digital habits might be putting your license at risk? Take time this week to examine your professional practices and identify potential compliance gaps. Subscribe, share this episode with colleagues, and join us next time as we continue to bring you the conversations that help protect your license and livelihood!
Transcript
Speaker 1: 0:01
This podcast is for educational purposes only, does not constitute legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal assistance about a legal problem contact an attorney.
Speaker 2: 0:13
Howdy, everyone. Welcome back to Know your Regulator, the podcast that inspires you to engage. I am your host, simone Murphy, and in today’s episode, we’re taking a look at the future how technology is changing the way that regulators work and what that means for you as a license holder. We talk a lot on the show about current rules and processes, but what happens when AI, digital record keeping and social media monitoring start changing the landscape? Well, they already are, so if you’re a professional with a license, you need to know how this shift could affect your career. Today’s episode is a solo conversation, but I’m weaving in some clips from past episodes folks like Douglas Reeves, tony Bertolino and experts from our AI-focused episode, sherry Middlemass and Troy Bullier, who’ve shared their insights on compliance enforcement and the role that technology is playing in our world. So let’s dive in. The future of regulation is here the same age. Regulators have more tools at their disposal than ever before, so case management systems are digital, records are electronic and agencies are even exploring AI monitoring.
Speaker 3: 1:21
We, being appraisers, fall under USPAP, the Uniform Standards Practice for Professional Appraiser, so it’s a little bit different for us. That’s our overarching thing that we’re always wanting to comply with, but there’s a lot of interpretations of that by TREC and TLCB and Fannie Mae and other government entities, and so you’re always kind of having to be on your toes. And since USPAP is something that changes every two years, or at least is revisited, we have to be out in front of it.
Speaker 2: 1:54
I want you to think about that for a second. If agencies can very quickly pull your records, your documentation, your digital footprint, they don’t need to send someone physically knocking at your door footprint. They don’t need to send someone physically knocking at your door. Your compliance or lack thereof can be laid out in just seconds. So that means you, as a license holder, have got to adapt. It’s not about just doing the right thing, it’s about proving that in a digital first world. And technology doesn’t just make regulators jobs easier either. It also makes it easier for professionals to slip up in ways that they never imagined before. Social media is a big one. It’s huge. Every comment, every post, every like, every emotional reaction, the emojis. It can be screenshotted, it can be shared and used in a complaint.
Speaker 4: 2:41
Well, what we’ve seen over the past decade or so is that licensing boards, really across all professions in Texas, are treating social media conduct the same way they treat in-person professional behavior or even misbehavior. And that means that you know these off-the-cuff kind of posts and shared memes and you know, and even comment threads could be interpreted as an unprofessional conduct by a board and could subject a license holder to an investigation for misconduct.
Speaker 2: 3:13
And that’s the reality, right, a post that to you, is just blowing off steam may come off as unprofessional to the board, and they’re watching closer, now more than ever. And then there’s AI, and some professionals are already experimenting with it to draft client reports or even document case notes. But here’s the warning If you are putting in confidential client or patient information into an AI tool, you may be exposing private data, and regulators absolutely will catch up to that risk. So the lesson here is simple Every action leaves a digital footprint, and license holders need to understand these footprints before they step into risky territory. So you may be asking yourself what can I do to stay ahead? First, you absolutely have to embrace compliance as a culture. It’s not a checkbox. Technology is not going away, and you need systems in place to make sure that compliance is routine.
Speaker 1: 4:07
You know, at the end of the day, you’re still a professional. It’s still your license on the line. You really need to think about AI as just another tool in the toolbox, right? And so obviously there’s going to be an adjustment period in learning how to incorporate that tool into the bevy of services that you provide. But again, at the end of the day, your obligations, your ethics as a professional remain essentially the same and even though you may be using a tool, you’re still the one on the hook. You’re the one responsible. Great example of that You’ve probably maybe even seen this in the news Lawyers have started using AI and things like ChatGPT and Claude to help them with legal research and also writing briefs.
Speaker 1: 4:55
Well, lawyers have a duty and an obligation of due diligence to know what they’re submitting to the court. There have been some instances where people have used chat, gpt, for example, and the case law either doesn’t exist or doesn’t stand for the proposition that the lawyer made and the court found out, and that can actually get lawyers in trouble. They can be sanctioned by the court. There have been referrals to state bar for grievances, so that’s really a big issue. I think that emphasizes hey, at the end of the day. This is a tool and you are the one that’s responsible.
Speaker 2: 5:31
And second, stay informed. Boards are constantly updating their rules and regulations to reflect the digital world, and sometimes that means that you’ve got to advocate for change, and so the last one, which we kind of have been mentioning throughout this podcast today, is submit your comments.
Speaker 5: 5:47
speak what’s bothering you, what you’d like proposed, what you’d like to be changed. If you don’t speak up, someone else’s opinion may shape the policies that govern your profession, and it might be one that you didn’t speak up. Someone else’s opinion may shape the policies that govern your profession, and it might be one that you didn’t like. Even in a short comment, explaining how a rule affects you can be incredibly valuable.
Speaker 2: 6:08
The truth is that professionals who engage early, who understand the rules before they hit, are far better protected than those who wait until a complaint arrives. The future of regulation is not just a distinct concept. It is happening right now. Ai is here, digital monitoring is here and social media risk is here, and the professionals who thrive are the ones who adapt, who build compliance into their everyday practice and who are not afraid to engage with their regulators. So here’s your call to action Look at your own professional life this week.
Speaker 2: 6:38
Where are the gaps? What are you relying on? Maybe some old habits that may not hold up in a digital first world? And, most importantly, how can you make sure that you’re not just compliant, but that you’re prepared and remember, if you’re ever unsure about your standing, don’t wait until it’s too late. Reach out to your board, engage with your regulator and ask them questions. That’s it for today’s episode of Know your Regulator. If you found this helpful, share it with a colleague who might need some reminders, subscribe, leave a review and keep on tuning in as we bring you the conversations and solo episodes that help you protect your license and livelihood. Until next time, stay inspired and continue engaging with your regulatory agency Know.
Speaker 5: 7:21
Your Regulator. The podcast that inspires you to engage.