BUD Anheuser Busch Inbev SA NV

By Dylan Tokar 

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA is using machine-learning technology that can identify risky business partners and potentially illegal payments.

The brewer's compliance team uses the analytics platform, BrewRight, through dashboards built on third-party data-visualization software. Clicking on one of about a dozen icons opens a screen that summarizes data about processes within the company using lists, graphics and maps.

The interfaces allow employees to spot risks associated with anticorruption, anti-money-laundering and antitrust laws. They also help compliance catch duplicate payments, track beer giveaways and analyze the performance of in-house investigators. Here are a few examples:

Third-party diligence: The company has rules around which vendors require due diligence, but the process is subject to human bias and deception. This dashboard sorts through a master list of vendors and identifies the ones that might have ties to the government -- and should be subject to increased scrutiny.

Diligence accuracy: This screen tracks vendors after they have been approved. It looks for red flags, including discrepancies between what vendors have been hired to do and what they are doing.

Travel and entertainment: AB InBev's compliance team can compare expense spending across teams, regions and even corporate functions in an effort to root out bribes given in the form of expensive meals or other gifts.

Data Pollution: This dashboard assesses the quality of data across the company's enterprise-resource-planning systems to help correct for bias generated by differences in data quality. This allows the company to continuously audit record-keeping practices across its operations.

Write to Dylan Tokar at dylan.tokar@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 17, 2020 05:44 ET (10:44 GMT)

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