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From RPA to AI Agents: The Next 3 Years of Audit Automation

November 14, 2024
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Jason Jones

From RPA to AI Agents: The Next 3 Years of Audit Automation

The audit industry is on the cusp of a significant transformation driven by the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) agents. As robotic process automation (RPA) reaches its limitations, AI agents are poised to revolutionize the way audits are conducted, offering greater efficiency, accuracy, and insights.

The Limitations of RPA

RPA has played a significant role in streamlining audit processes by automating repetitive tasks like data extraction and reconciliation. However, RPA has critical limitations:

  • Lacks cognitive abilities to handle complex scenarios or analyze data
  • Cannot adapt to changing circumstances
  • Scripts frequently break whenever slight changes are made to underlying websites or documents
  • Limited to predetermined workflows without reasoning capabilities

This is where AI agents represent a fundamental breakthrough.

The Rise of AI Agents

AI Agents are intelligent and adaptive. They can use computers the way people do: by looking at a screen, moving a cursor, clicking, and typing text. Unlike RPA, AI Agents can:

  • Learn and reason through complex scenarios
  • Make intelligent decisions based on context
  • Analyze vast amounts of data and identify patterns
  • Predict risks with far greater accuracy than traditional automation
  • Adapt to changes in interfaces and workflows

This opens up a world of possibilities for the audit industry.

Current State: Early but Promising

AI Agents are the next big thing in AI, and we are at a very early stage. We were excited to see Anthropic Claude release "computer use" recently, which is one of the first examples of AI Agents in the public domain.

Check out this Anthropic video demonstrating workflow automation with AI Agents

When we see that video, we see the future of audit unfolding before our eyes.

Transforming the Audit Process: The Next 3 Years

In the next three years, we can expect AI agents to significantly impact the audit process in the following ways:

Process Automation

There are countless mundane tasks that currently require humans to work between applications to process workflows. In the Anthropic demo, a human would need to complete data entry by taking data from a spreadsheet and entering it into a web application.

In the next three years, we will easily train AI Agents to automate those workflows just by following along with how humans process the data.

Enhanced Efficiency

AI agents will automate a wider range of tasks, including:

  • Document review and analysis
  • Risk assessment procedures
  • Fraud detection protocols
  • Audit report generation
  • Cross-referencing and reconciliation

This will free up auditors' time to focus on higher-level analysis and professional judgment.

Improved Accuracy

AI agents will analyze data with unprecedented accuracy, identifying anomalies and potential risks that might be missed by human auditors. This will lead to more reliable and insightful audits with fewer deficiencies.

Deeper Insights

AI agents will analyze data from multiple sources and identify complex relationships that humans might not be able to see. This will provide auditors with a deeper understanding of the client's business and risk profile.

Continuous Monitoring

AI agents will continuously monitor audit data in real time, identifying potential deficiencies as they arise and potentially fulfilling the vision of continuous auditing. This will enable auditors to provide more proactive and preventative advice.

The Future of the Audit Profession

The rise of AI agents will not eliminate the need for human auditors. Instead, it will redefine the role of auditors, requiring them to possess:

  • Strong analytical skills
  • Critical thinking capabilities
  • The ability to interpret and communicate AI-generated insights
  • Proficiency in natural language prompting (as valuable as mastering Excel)

New Skills for Auditors

The audit profession will need to adapt by investing in training programs to equip auditors with necessary skills to work effectively with AI agents. Prompting will become a key skill in the auditor's toolkit, requiring auditors to clearly and accurately articulate tasks for AI to complete.

In essence, AI will become a personal assistant that can carry out tasks on command. With AI Agents, many tasks will be done autonomously—the auditor may train the AI to complete repetitive tasks and then let it run continuously.

The Next Three Years: A Period of Transformation

The next three years will be a period of significant transformation for the audit industry. As AI agents become increasingly sophisticated, they will reshape how audits are conducted, leading to:

  • Greater efficiency in audit procedures
  • Improved accuracy in risk detection
  • Deeper insights into client operations
  • Enhanced audit quality overall

By embracing AI and adapting to the changing landscape, early adopters will improve audit quality, expand margins, and drive growth.

What's Next at Tellen

In the coming weeks, Tellen will release examples of how AI Agents can be applied to audit workflows. If you're curious about applying AI Agents to your business, reach out to learn how the Tellen AI Platform can get you in the game.

The future of audit automation is here—and it's powered by intelligent agents that think, learn, and adapt.

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 substantive 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: Substantive 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.

Does Tellen integrate with our existing software?

Yes. Tellen seamlessly integrates with tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack, SharePoint, OneDrive, Copilot, Caseware, Wolters Kluwer, Thomson Reuters, and Inflo—fitting into your existing audit workflow.

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 Contact page. Our team will guide you through setup, deployment, and training so your firm can start scaling with AI-powered efficiency.