Strategy Roadmap: Lead the AI Transformation of Internal Audit

24th February, 2027 | 09:00 - 12:30 CET
25th February, 2027 | 09:00 - 12:30 CET

The Audit Executive AI Roadmap for Higher Productivity, Audit Quality and Strategic Impact

Suggested training duration: Two half‑day sessions (total 1 day)

Training Description 

AI is moving from an experimental technology to a new operating standard for high-performing Internal Audit functions. The challenge for Audit Managers and CAEs is to translate this technological disruption into a clear management strategy:

ð  What should be automated?

ð  What capabilities need to be built?

ð  Which processes must change?

ð  And how can AI be introduced without compromising professional accountability?

This executive-focused training introduces the ARC AI CMMi Roadmap, a structured five-level approach for developing an AI-enabled Internal Audit function. Participants will learn how to assess their current level of AI maturity, identify the most important development priorities and build a scalable roadmap from foundational AI readiness to advanced AI agent orchestration.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the training, participants will be able to:

1.        Understand the strategic impact of Generative AI and Agentic AI on the future operating model of Internal Audit.

2.        Assess the current AI maturity of their Internal Audit function using the ARC 5-Level CMMi Roadmap.

3.        Identify the methodological and process-architecture foundations required to make Internal Audit AI-ready.

4.        Understand how AI can increase productivity across the complete Internal Audit Value Chain.

5.        Evaluate the business value of Prompt Libraries, RAG systems and AI Agent ecosystems for their audit function.

6.        Understand how AI-supported automation can free auditors from operational “heavy lifting” and increase focus on professional judgment and strategic advisory.

7.        Develop the strategic priorities and next steps for an AI transformation roadmap within their own Internal Audit function.

8.        Understand how Human-in-the-Loop principles and quality gates preserve accountability, methodological consistency and audit quality.

Audit Training Agenda

1. The Strategic AI Inflection Point in Internal Audit

• Why traditional audit operating models are under increasing pressure
• From Hindsight to Foresight

2. The ARC AI CMMi Roadmap

• The Baseline: Building an AI-ready audit methodology and process architecture
• Level 1: AI Prompt Engineering and individual productivity
• Level 2: Custom Best-Practice Prompt Library
• Level 3: RAG and Enterprise Audit Intelligence
• Level 4: Modular AI Agent Ecosystem
• Level 5: Virtual AI Audit Engagement Manager

3. From Productivity to Audit Performance

• Automating the operational heavy lifting
• Reducing cycle times & Increasing assurance coverage
• Shifting capacity toward critical thinking and strategic advisory

4. Human-Centric AI: The New Audit Operating Model

• Auditor as Director and final decision-maker
• Human judgment versus machine execution
• Quality gates, feedback loops and methodological integrity

5. From AI Tools to AI Workforce

• How specialized AI Agents can support the audit lifecycle
• Manual orchestration versus autonomous coordination
• The role of the Virtual AI Audit Engagement Manager
• Practical examples of future audit workflows

6. Building Your AI Audit Transformation Roadmap

• Benchmarking the current state
• Identifying priorities and maturity gaps
• Defining the next practical development steps

7. Conclusion and Future Outlook

• Summarizing Management Key Takeaways
• Future Ready: Practical steps towards the strategic development of AI in internal audit

Trainer:
Dr. Dominik Foerschler, PhD, CIA, CRMA, MD Audit Research Center | ARC Institute
awarded by Richard Chambers as Internal Audit Beacon Award Winner and Top 10 Global Thought Leader for Internal Audit.

In over 30 years of professional experience at Deutsche Bank, Canadian Imperial Bank CIBC and BMW in responsible management positions, with international assignments in Toronto, Chicago, New York, Madrid and London, Dominik is today the author of numerous expert books and articles in the field of Internal Audit, GRC and human resources development in renowned professional journals as well as the editor of a book series.

After holding various management positions and working as executive assistant to the President of the University of Frankfurt am Main, Germany and faculty member of the Management Research Center; Dominik now heads the Audit Research Center | ARC Institute as Managing Director. As Chairman of the Digital Transformation Board, he is also responsible for the development of new learning methods such as Gamified Training or the developed AI Digital Transformation Audit Stress Test as an audit methodology concept.