The drive to apply artificial intelligence in governance and audit now meets a tougher demand: proof of durable business value. Teams want faster cycles with fewer manual handoffs, favoring a connected risk approach.

The demands are twofold: Boards expect clearer risk visibility across functions, while regulators are pressing for accountable AI. Against this backdrop, AuditBoard Inc. emphasizes the intent is to boost people and their productivity rather than sideline them, according to Raul Villar Jr. (pictured), chief executive officer of AuditBoard.

AuditBoard’s Raul Villar Jr. talks to theCUBE about audit transformation.

“AI really helps in a couple different areas. It helps improve efficiency and reduce mundane tasks across our internal workforce. Just like we’re trying to do for our auditors and our [chief information security officers] and our chief risk officers, we’re trying to get rid of the mundane tasks no one wants to do through automation and through AI,” Villar said. “We look at it as, ‘Hey, we’re not looking to replace people with AI. We’re looking to enhance people with AI.’”

Marcus spoke with theCUBE’s Rob Strechay and Rebecca Knight at Audit & Beyond, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed connected risk and the pressure for CISOs to adjust to both the promise — and potential threats — of artificial intelligence. (* Disclosure below.) 

Connected risk takes the foreground

For AuditBoard, connected risk links audit and compliance data into workflows leaders can act on. Automation then trims manual work to support reliable quarterly execution, Villar explained.

“Every quarter you have to deliver it — and the risks change from quarter to quarter,” he said. “Different things impact your business, different things are impacting the macro environment that you operate in. For us, if you can minimize the amount of manual work that has to be done — how it’s automated and how it comes through for the team — it enables you to be more nimble, more flexible and be able to have a long marriage as a public company.”

Connected risk platforms map exposures across audit, security and operations, then rank them by likelihood and impact. The aim is a single dashboard that directs budget and staffing to the issues most likely to disrupt quarterly execution, according to Villar. He framed it as prioritization over blanket prevention, with one view for the chief executive officer, chief financial officer and audit committee to steer spend and staffing.

“You can’t invest in everything to prevent risk, but you know which ones are the highest probability of failure and that’s what we’re trying to solve for,” he said. “Connect all the risks, [then] provide a comprehensive dashboard to the CEO, CFO and the audit committee so they can help inform your investment decisions about where you’re going to try to mitigate risk.”

The company’s operating model extends to data-first controls and clear AI governance, often paired with partner services to meet regional rules. The guidance for executives is clear: stay the course, focus on customer outcomes and apply AI where it sharpens the offering, Villar explained. 

 “I’d say stay committed, focus on the things that matter, which are really tied to your value proposition to your customers,” he said. “If you’re leveraging AI to make that better, you’re going to see the value; you’re going to see the rewards.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the Audit & Beyond event:

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the Audit & Beyond event. Neither AuditBoard, the sponsor of theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE