Internal audit is often perceived as the profession of careful sceptics - meticulous, methodical, and perhaps in some minds, a little boring. But artificial intelligence is shattering that outdated perception and reshaping internal audit into something far more dynamic.
At a recent SNG Grant Thornton webinar that formed part of the firm's SHEroes Beyond Internal Audit initiative, three audit leaders made a compelling case that AI isn't just another tool in the auditor's kit; it's a ‘superpower’ that can transform how audit teams deliver value, identify risks and protect organisations.
SHEroes Beyond Internal Audit, established by Maria Pretorius, Director and Head of Business Risk Services at SNG Grant Thornton, is a platform dedicated to shaping the profession's future, with a particular focus on supporting women in internal audit, developing future-fit auditors who add genuine value, and elevating the profession's visibility and impact.
During the webinar, Pretorius framed the AI transformation with characteristic enthusiasm. “Artificial intelligence is making internal auditors heroes and heroines,” she said, “but this transformation comes with crucial responsibilities around governance, data quality and maintaining the irreplaceable value of human judgment.”
According to Pretorius, unlocking the full potential of this AI superpower has two critical dimensions.
First, there’s been a significant change in the scope of what internal auditors are required to audit, as artificial intelligence has moved from boardroom buzzword to operational reality.
This has created new governance imperatives, requiring internal auditors to evaluate how organisations are deploying AI, examine data privacy protocols and algorithmic bias risks, and assess the potential for automated systems to reach flawed conclusions.
The second key to unlocking the AI superpower involves how internal auditors use it and drive its evolution. “Beyond the obvious application of using AI tools for research and preparation, AI can process massive transaction volumes, support risk assessments and streamline the entire audit lifecycle,” Pretorius points out.
But she emphasises that all this digital power doesn’t indemnify auditors from the imperative to keep critical thinking and professional scepticism central to the work they do. “AI provides powerful capabilities, but auditors cannot simply trust outputs without verification,” she says. “The ethics and objectives that define quality auditing must stay intact, even as the tools become more sophisticated.”
Riaaz Mahomed, Director of Business Risk Services at SNG Grant Thornton, concurred with Pretorius and outlined the dual nature of AI's impact on internal audit, namely AI as an enabler, and auditing AI as a risk area.
He explained that when organisations deploy AI, they face risks around data quality, model bias, cybersecurity vulnerabilities and more. These risks demand robust controls, starting with governance frameworks that establish clear guardrails. Management has to proactively identify risks and implement sufficient controls to mitigate them.
He highlighted the vital role internal audit plays in providing assurance that these controls exist and function effectively, and that businesses are using AI responsibly and managing the associated risks.
But he also pointed to a crucial dependency being the maturity of the client's control environment. “The more mature the control environment, the more effectively AI can be deployed in the audit lifecycle,” he stressed. “Organisations with manual processes - like those still processing payroll via written payslips and cheques - offer limited opportunities for technology-enabled auditing.”
He explained that this creates an opportunity for internal auditors to serve as catalysts, encouraging clients to modernise their processes, which in turn will enable more efficient, insightful audits.
Hema Chetty, Co-Founder and COO of fintech startup Imagination Advisory and Technology, brought practical implementation experience to the discussion. She stressed that AI is only as strong as the data behind it, and this creates both challenges and opportunities for internal auditors.
“Too often, audit teams delay AI adoption, claiming they can't start because the organisation lacks a data strategy,” she said. “But auditors shouldn’t be making excuses; they should be part of the solution, delivering advisory work, helping establish data strategies, and creating dashboards for continuous monitoring that highlight data quality issues.”
Pretorius pointed out that this is where internal auditors' unique value really shines. “Unlike siloed departments, internal auditors have a holistic view of the organisation. For example, they can leverage AI to quickly and accurately can link procurement risks to recruitment process weaknesses, high staff turnover and user access control gaps - painting a comprehensive risk landscape.
Ultimately, the key message from the webinar was that, as AI rapidly transforms internal audit - presenting both new risks and powerful capabilities - the auditors who thrive will be those who view AI not as a threat to their relevance but as a superpower that amplifies their ability to protect, advise and serve the organisations they support.
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