SAIs must prepare themselves for auditing AI-based governance systems: CAG Murmu

Panaji (Goa) [India], June 14 : Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, Girish Chandra Murmu on Tuesday said that the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) must prepare themselves for auditing Artificial Intelligence based governance systems and look into opportunities to adopt AI into their audit techniques to increase effectiveness.

He made the remarks at the concluding day of the SAI20 summit here in Goa.

Addressing a press conference, GC Murmu said, "During the SAI20 Summit, we released the compendiums on two priority areas - Blue Economy and Artificial Intelligence. The two compendiums could be brought out as a result of extensive research, detailed deliberations and overwhelming support and contributions from various SAIs and expert panellists".

"This compendium on Blue Economy aims to serve as a medium for sharing the experiences of SAIs in auditing diverse facets of Blue Economy," he added.

CAG Murmu said the priority areas for SAI20 this year were Blue Economy and Responsible Artificial Intelligence.

"SAI20 represented an action-oriented forum for the SAIs of G20 countries to collaborate on sharing of best practices, capacity building and development of appropriate auditing guidelines and actionable tool kits for auditing national priorities, which was also reflected in the SAI20 Communique adopted during the Summit," he said.

He added, "Though the audit of these priority areas is challenging, their all-pervasive, cross-cutting nature compounded with evolving technology and usage, necessitates close cooperation among the SAIs for knowledge sharing and capacity building".

The CAG said that it is essential that policymakers put in place processes to responsibly harness the potential of AI technology.

"As AI was making greater inroads into governance, SAIs must inevitably prepare themselves for auditing AI-based governance systems and SAIs must look for opportunities to adopt AI into their audit techniques to increase their effectiveness," he said.

He added, "Recognising the well-defined and effective role the SAIs play in good governance, in conjunction with the timeless and essential principle of independence of SAIs, as articulated in the UN General Assembly resolution at the Sixty-Ninth session in 2014, the SAI20 advocates according to the SAI20 group a distinct, independent, institutional track in the G20 structure. This will ensure the group's independent stature, precluding all external influences, and enabling them to play a profound role in the realisation of the G20 agenda".

On the sidelines of the summit, the CAG also signed MoUs for strengthening cooperation and knowledge sharing with SAIs of Indonesia, Turkiye and the Republic of Korea.

The SAI20 Summit saw the participation of about 85 National and International delegates from G20 member SAIs, viz. Australia, Brazil, Korea, Indonesia, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye; Guest SAIs, viz. Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Nigeria, Oman, Spain and UAE; Invited SAIs, viz. Morocco and Poland; International Organisation, viz. USAID and World Bank; and Engagement Groups viz. Think20 and Youth20.