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AI Technology
3 min read

Faster Footnotes with AI-Powered Decision Trees

January 27, 2025
Photo of Ethan Kelemen
Ethan Kelemen

Faster Footnotes with AI-Powered Decision Trees

At Tellen, our vision is to empower auditors with GenAI to streamline their workflows. We analyze auditor workflows and build data pipelines to efficiently extract, transform, and deliver data so auditors can complete their procedures more accurately in far less time.

We are currently building a new module for FootnoteAI: an AI-powered decision tree tool to quickly draft footnote disclosures that are specific and accurate to each entity, even if such disclosures were never previously created for that organization.

How AI-Powered Decision Trees Work

By using this AI-powered decision tree workflow tool, auditors will follow a sequence of steps that require answering questions and uploading documents that are processed by AI models. This orchestrated workflow ultimately results in the AI-powered generation of a footnote disclosure where the auditor remains "in-the-loop" providing oversight and guidance throughout the process.

The Workflow Process

  1. Entity Profiling: Our decision trees first discern the necessary information about the entity from the user
  2. Characteristic Establishment: After profile characteristics (industry, reporting framework, etc.) are established, the user is prompted to input further information
  3. Documentation Upload: Supporting evidence and documentation are uploaded for AI model processing
  4. AI Generation: The AI model generates a workable draft of a footnote based on all provided inputs
  5. Auditor Review: Throughout the process, auditors maintain control and provide oversight

The FootnoteAI Suite Evolution

We view our decision tree tool as the logical progression of the collaborative work we have been doing with our design partners to build our FootnoteAI application:

Current Tools

  • FootnoteDB: Assists in searching for comparable disclosures from publicly available 10-Ks or from your firm's proprietary collection of financial statement disclosures
  • Clerical Accuracy Tool: Checks for internal consistency throughout the financial statements, including footnotes (rolling out next)

In Development

  • Decision Tree Tool: The focus of this post (currently in design)
  • Additional specialized tools for the complete FootnoteAI suite

Future Autonomous Capabilities

As this decision tree tool matures, we anticipate integrating autonomous AI agents into the workflow that specialize in specific repeatable tasks:

  • Lease Agent: Automatically produces lease amortization tables whenever a new lease contract is uploaded
  • Regulatory Monitor: Continuously checks the FASB website for regulatory updates before generating footnotes
  • Document Processor: Handles various financial document types and extracts relevant data automatically

The Economic Impact

Ultimately, this AI-powered decision tree tool will transform basic background information and supporting documents into fully prepared workpapers and disclosures in minutes. We believe that the economics of firms that utilize our AI-powered tools will be fundamentally altered.

The efficiency gains from reducing footnote preparation time from hours to minutes will allow auditors to focus on higher-value analytical work while maintaining accuracy and compliance standards.

Moving Forward

We are excited to bring developments like these to our existing design partners and look forward to bringing more firms on board as they choose to AI-enable their businesses. The future of audit efficiency is here, and it's powered by intelligent decision trees that understand the nuances of financial reporting.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn how Tellen’s AI Agent Workforce powers modern accounting firms.

What is Tellen’s AI Agent Workforce?

Tellen’s AI Agent Workforce is a suite of specialized AI-powered agents designed for accounting firms. These agents automate audit workflows, financial statement preparation, and footnote disclosures while ensuring security, compliance, and transparency.

How do Tellen’s AI agents help accounting firms scale?

By automating time-intensive tasks like attribute testing, financial reporting, and consistency checks, Tellen enables firms to handle more engagements without increasing headcount. This drives higher efficiency, capacity, and profitability.

Are Tellen’s AI agents secure?

Yes. Tellen deploys directly into your firm’s cloud environment (Azure, AWS, or GCP), ensuring that sensitive client data never leaves your control. The platform is also SOC 2 Type II certified, providing enterprise-grade security and compliance.

Can Tellen’s AI agents adapt to our firm’s unique workflows?

Absolutely. Tellen’s agents are dynamic learners. They are trained on your firm’s proprietary data, policies, and tech stack, creating a shared knowledge base that evolves with each engagement.

What accounting tasks can Tellen’s agents automate?

Tellen automates tasks across every audit stage, including:

  • Planning: Research and guidance from accounting standards.
  • Fieldwork: Attribute and control testing.
  • Reporting: Drafting financial statements and footnotes.
  • Review: Consistency checks and quality scans.

How does Tellen improve audit quality?

Tellen ensures accuracy and compliance by cross-referencing data, logging every AI decision, and providing 100% traceable outputs backed by verifiable sources—so your audit files are complete, consistent, and trustworthy.

What ROI can accounting firms expect with Tellen?

Firms using Tellen report significant time savings, revenue-per-employee growth, and improved engagement capacity. For example, one firm achieved 332% ROI and saved nearly 300 hours using AI agents.

How does Tellen's pricing work?

Tellen uses outcome-based pricing—we win when you win. Unlike typical SaaS subscriptions that charge regardless of results, our pricing model is tied to the actual value delivered to your firm. This ensures our incentives are aligned with your success, not just seat counts.

Does Tellen integrate with our existing software?

Yes. Tellen integrates with leading to scan your audit binder, detect quality issues, and help remediate them. We analyze workpapers and automate testing procedures through and our Microsoft Add-in — which brings these capabilities right into your existing workpapers. Our extensible integration framework supports connecting to additional systems.

How is Tellen different from generic AI tools?

Unlike generic AI or off-the-shelf automation software, Tellen is purpose-built for accounting. It is secure, compliance-focused, and continuously adapts to your firm’s unique processes, ensuring firm-specific intelligence.

How can we get started with Tellen?

You can schedule a demo or consultation via our Demo page. Our team will guide you through setup, deployment, and training so your firm can start scaling with AI-powered efficiency.
Faster Footnotes with AI-Powered Decision Trees | Tellen