As cognitive computing continues to make great strides, how can compliance professionals harness the power of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to help solve the regulatory challenges they encounter on a daily basis? Cognitive computing encompasses a range of different technologies, two of which include machine learning -- where computers analyze volumes of data and produce recommendations -- and artificial intelligence (AI), which involves the additional aspect of relying on the machine to apply'reason'. Teaching a machine how to think like a person, however, is not without many pitfalls. For example, algorithms can be used to analyze all available information when making a decision, but cannot efficiently take ethical or humanitarian considerations into account. Such pitfalls aside, both machine learning and AI are already used to help compliance professionals make sense of the vast volumes of data they encounter every day, including regulatory changes and updates, breaking news and KYC-related documentation received from clients.