The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India lately announced plans to develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system for audit reports. It will be an important change in public audits segment. Using AI in the audit process makes sense and it is important for the CAG to handle the increasing complexity of financial oversight.
Public auditing has long relied on manual scrutiny and judgment. It is now on the verge of becoming more data-driven, precise and efficient. G C Murmu explained that data collected from the field is first cleaned and thereafter classified through analytics to enhance accuracy.
One important aspect of the development is the sheer volume of work that CAG handles. It annually handles around 200 reports and 35 of it are scheduled for the upcoming winter session. It is evident that the institution has long needed a more streamlined approach.
The move also sets a precedent for other public institutions. The comments of Murmu during the 16th Assembly of the Asian Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) highlight a broader trend toward technological innovation in the audit sector. India is taking the chairmanship of ASOSAI for the 2024-2027 term. It has the opportunity to lead by example in promoting technology-driven audits, IT audit frameworks and capacity-building initiatives.
AI adoption in audit processes is about speed and also about enhancing accuracy, transparency as well as the ability to analyze large sets of data efficiently. It will be now interesting to see how the AI impacts the quality of public audits. The future of public auditing in India looks promising. The bold step toward AI-driven audits could redefine the standards of financial accountability across the country and beyond.