Should businesses prepare for AI to inspect their finances?
AI is rapidly becoming a part of every aspect of life and business and you may have been implementing your own AI services to make life easier.
You are not alone in embracing AI, as the Bank of England is reportedly considering implementing AI inspections to detect errors in finances.
The idea is that regulators who oversee the financial services industry will be implementing AI to help them trawl through the massive amount of data they accumulate.
This might be signalling a shift in financial compliance and businesses may need to prepare accordingly.
How will AI-powered reviews affect businesses?
It is widely known that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) utilises some degree of AI automation in their reviews, although the full scale of it is yet to be determined.
HMRC were recently ordered by a tribunal to reveal the extent to which AI is being used to determine the eligibility of R&D tax relief claims over fears that it may be ill-suited for the task.
This raises greater questions about the widespread implementation of AI reviews in the financial sector.
Plenty of businesses already benefit from the utilisation of AI, but many will have discovered that not all AI is created equal.
When specialist AI is used by well-trained individuals, the results can be incredibly effective, with time saved through the streamlining of tedious tasks.
However, using more generic AI often results in poor-quality outputs that are plagued by hallucinations and false information.
This makes the Bank of England’s contemplation of AI use concerning, as the success of the implementation will depend upon the quality of the AI itself.
The reservation that HMRC has expressed in releasing details about AI use has led some to conclude that it may be unsuited for the complex task and it is unclear whether HMRC are currently only using AI for R&D tax relief claims or if they are using it more widely.
AI-powered reviews raise questions about security, as some AI systems can be tricked by those with knowledge of how they work.
Although AI systems are improving, prompt injection, the act of overriding previous instructions through a carefully worded command, is still an issue.
The fear is that some businesses may be able to incorporate specific commands into tax filings to make illegitimate claims pass by the AI undetected.
How can businesses prepare for these new financial reviews?
As the ongoing debate surrounding the use of AI with R&D tax relief claims shows, AI-powered financial reviews may already be here.
Regardless, businesses will require more support in keeping compliant with their financial obligations, as an effective AI system will ensure that more errors are caught.
The Bank of England are still only considering the implementation of AI, but we will keep an eye on the situation as it unfolds.
We work to keep you up to date with changing financial guidelines so that you can ensure that you are fully compliant, whether your filings are reviewed by humans or robots.
Make sure that you are not going to get caught out by more rigorous reviews. Speak to our team today!
