Global Best Practices
Transforming Audit Through AI
Internal audit functions can enhance efficiency, productivity, and value by leveraging artificial intelligence and following key steps to maximize its benefits.
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All Things Internal Audit Tech: AI Education for Internal Auditors
In this companion episode to the Transforming Audit Through AI Global Best Practices, Charles King talks with Kelsey Murphy about what it takes to drive meaningful AI adoption in internal audit. They discuss the role of education, trust, leadership buy-in, and everyday experimentation. From training tips to real-world wins, this episode is a guide for teams looking to integrate AI into audit workflows with strategy, not just buzzwords.
How Are Internal Auditors Putting AI to Work?
Charles King, partner, internal audit and enterprise risk, KPMG US, says about 60% of the companies he works with have artificial intelligence (AI) tools that they use every day, while others may not have any AI or are still experimenting.
AI can help internal audit functions do more with limited resources, notes Natalie Denman, CIA, audit supervisor at Flowserve Corp. in Houston.
Given that internal audit is a cost center, the productivity and efficiency gains can enable the function to minimize project time and add more value.
This Global Best Practices explores how internal audit functions are benefiting from AI and outlines the steps needed to maximize its value.
King cautions internal auditors against focusing too narrowly on use cases, however. He is often asked about the best use cases for internal audit, which he compares to asking a carpenter about the best uses for a hammer. “The first question you want to ask is, what do you want to build?” he says.
Internal audit leaders should first determine whether they are seeking faster audit completion, to lower costs, or to achieve another goal, such as minimizing the work done by control owners. The danger otherwise is that internal auditors will tweak certain areas without making more meaningful transformations.
“Higher-level transformations can include measurable goals, such as raising audit client satisfaction ratings by a full point, lowering the time from kickoff to report delivery by four weeks, or reducing the average cost per audit by 20%, King says. “Those are really powerful outcomes that you can talk to your CFO, your audit committee chair, and your other stakeholders about.”
August 14, 2025