UNDERSTANDING AUDITING

The role of the auditor in the AI era

In the next five to ten years, auditing will look very different to today.

With the rise of new technologies, management systems auditing will become continuous, predictive, and heavily integrated with digital systems. Tools that once seemed straight out of science fiction – like AI-driven continuous monitoring and predictive analytics – will become everyday realities.

But despite these technological advancements, the human auditor’s role isn’t going anywhere. Instead, it’s evolving.

Auditors will move away from simply checking compliance after things happen. Instead, they’ll provide real-time monitoring, advisory support, and operational insights. Far from making auditors redundant, technology will make them more valuable than ever before.

Predictive analytics: Getting ahead of issues

Predictive analytics uses historical and real-time data combined with machine learning to help auditors anticipate problems before they occur. Instead of waiting for something to go wrong, auditors will proactively pinpoint areas that might see compliance issues, incomplete processes, or potential management system failures down the track.

Yet, while AI tools are great at spotting patterns or unusual activity, they can’t tell you why something’s happening. They won’t catch underlying cultural issues, behavioural subtleties, or organisational struggles. That’s exactly why skilled auditors still matter – AI provides data, but auditors deliver insight, judgement, and practical understanding of what’s really happening on the ground.

Continuous AI auditing

Continuous auditing using AI is another big change on the horizon. Organisations will increasingly embed AI-powered audit “agents” directly into their systems, keeping an eye on compliance and risk factors around the clock. When these tools detect something unusual – like missing records, repeated small errors, or inconsistencies – they’ll flag it immediately.

However, it still takes a switched-on auditor to work out whether these flags are genuinely significant, what the real-world impact might be, and what needs to be done about them. While AI quickly identifies issues, auditors interpret and respond strategically – providing context and advice to management. It’s teamwork between human judgement and AI capability.

Why human auditors will always be essential

The growth of AI in auditing doesn’t mean auditors become less important – in fact, it should be seen as an opportunity. Auditors who can understand operational realities, uncover human challenges, and build trust with frontline staff will become even more valuable.

While AI is adept at handling repetitive, compliance-based tasks, auditors can engage in deeper operational learning – asking questions like:

“What does a good day look like in your role?”
“Where in this process is it easy to make mistakes?”
“What are the biggest headaches you face day-to-day?”

These sorts of conversations reveal what’s really going on beneath surface-level compliance and paperwork – things AI alone cannot grasp. Auditors provide the essential human context, empathy, and deeper understanding needed to interpret and improve management systems effectively.

Key skills auditors need for the future

To succeed alongside AI, management systems auditors will need to develop and hone distinctly human skills like:

Humility: Acknowledging and respecting the expertise of frontline workers.
Curiosity: Genuinely exploring deeper operational realities and hidden issues.
Learning Mindset: Using audits as opportunities to learn and improve—not just tick boxes or find faults.

These qualities will help auditors provide greater value beyond mere compliance checks – generating practical insights that management can use to genuinely improve their organisation.

Real-world context: Combining AI and human judgement

Imagine AI-driven auditing identifies frequent small compliance deviations in maintenance records. Traditional auditing might simply record these as deficiencies and move on. But a skilled auditor practising operational learning would dive deeper, having meaningful conversations with the workers to discover the real reasons behind these issues – such as resource shortages, outdated procedures, or pressures from unrealistic workloads.

From a real-world scenario, a recent audit revealed employee concerns about workplace surveillance affecting team morale and performance. AI couldn’t identify these cultural subtleties, but a skilled auditor using a human-focused approach could. By engaging directly with staff, auditors brought important cultural and ethical concerns to management’s attention.

Getting auditors ready for the future

As management systems auditing continues to evolve, auditors must embrace new AI-driven tools while doubling down on their uniquely human strengths. Auditors who successfully integrate powerful technologies with meaningful human insights will become invaluable strategic assets – helping organisations proactively manage risks, improve systems, and achieve better outcomes.

Auditor Training Co’s exclusive 1-Day Advanced Audit Practice course delves into these concepts – equipping participants with the knowledge and skills they need to improve their organisation’s audit program and shift towards greater learning and improvement.

Why train with us?

Auditor Training Co is powered by Southpac International Group, with over 20 years as management systems specialists in aviation and other high risk industries. Our auditor training offering has developed as a result of understanding the components of both developing effective management systems for countless organisations, and providing third party auditing of management systems as a JAS-ANZ accredited certification body. Our courses are certified by Exemplar Global and are facilitated by some of the industry’s most experienced trainers with auditing backgrounds.

We offer comprehensive training courses for various auditing roles, from those looking to specialise in auditing Integrated Management Systems of Quality, Safety and Environment, to those wanting to learn the skills to conduct effective internal audits or external, third-party audits.