The Institute of Internal Auditors Presents: All Things Internal Audit Tech

In this companion episode to Internal Auditor magazine's "Better Together" article, Paula Michaels talks with Ashwathama Rajendran about how AI can support more connected, continuous, and coordinated assurance across the three lines. They discuss why combined assurance can be difficult to achieve in practice, how AI can act as a connecting layer across risk, compliance, operations, and internal audit, and why human judgment, independence, and data privacy remain critical.

• HOST:
  • Paula Michaels Senior Director of Creative and Content Services, The IIA

• GUESTS:
  • Ashwathama Rajendran Data Analytics Lead, Stripe All opinions are Ashwathama Rajendran's own and do not represent his employer, and all scenarios discussed are hypothetical and based on broad industry experience rather than any specific organization.

KEY POINTS:

• Introduction and Ash's Background [00:00:30 - 00:02:05]
• Why Combined Assurance Struggles in Practice [00:02:17 - 00:04:21]
• AI as a Connecting Layer Across the Three Lines [00:04:33 - 00:06:29]
• Creating Real-Time Combined Assurance Maps [00:05:37 - 00:06:09]
• Continuous Monitoring Integration and AI [00:06:30 - 00:09:07]
• Using AI to Detect Cross-Functional Risks Earlier [00:09:07 - 00:11:20]
• Translating Risk Taxonomies Across Functions [00:11:29 - 00:13:35]
• Maintaining Auditor Independence and AI Governance [00:13:35 - 00:16:52]
• Roles of the Three Lines in AI Oversight [00:16:52 - 00:18:01]
• Where Organizations Should Start with AI-Enabled Combined Assurance [00:18:01 - 00:20:31]
• Internal Audit as a Catalyst for AI Adoption [00:20:31 - 00:22:35]
• How AI Will Change Internal Auditing Over the Next Five Years [00:22:35 - 00:25:17]
• Final Thoughts [00:25:17 - 00:25:49

Visit The IIA's website or YouTube channel for related topics and more.

IIA RELATED CONTENT: Interested in this topic? Visit the links below for more resources:

• Better Together — Internal Auditor Magazine (June Issue)
• Pulse Check: Combined Assurance
• Knowledge Center: Artificial Intelligence
• The Three Lines Model
• Vison 2035
• Global Internal Audit Standards

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