Big Four audit interview prep when AI can do the first pass

Rebuild the evidence. Make the judgment. Explain the exception.

Is $1.56m of misstatement material?

Overall materiality $1.56m of errors found

Same client, same errors. The answer turns on which number you multiply, and why.

Practice interviews

“reviewing a cash reconciliation produced by an AI tool.” (opens the source)

Allee Bonnard, Managing Partner for Audit and Assurance, Deloitte UK · ICAEW Insights (interview), Apr 1, 2026

Reviewing automated work requires the foundations the tool appears to remove. Rebuild the reconciliation before accepting its result.

“Materiality is a consideration in the design of audit procedures” (opens the source)

Financial Reporting Council, UK audit regulator (Audit & Assurance Sandbox output) · FRC Innovation and Improvement Hub, Audit & Assurance Sandbox, Jun 4, 2026

Materiality changes the work required. Explain your benchmark, the aggregate exposure and any qualitative issue.

“AI is a powerful tool, but the professional judgement and accountability of the auditor remains at the core of how we regulate.” (opens the source)

Mark Babington, Executive Director of Regulatory Standards, Financial Reporting Council · FRC press release, Mar 30, 2026

A population scan is not a completed audit. Resolve the outliers and test what the tool could have missed.

“Moving fast and applying appropriate governance are not mutually exclusive” (opens the source)

Richard Jackson, EY Americas Assurance Chief Technology Officer; Global and Americas Assurance AI Leader · EY, Sep 15, 2026

Keep the client’s accounting decision separate from your assurance role, even when automation makes the request look small.

“need to have the courage to take a point of view.” (opens the source)

Bring a clear position to the client early. A quiet spreadsheet of exceptions does not replace the conversation.

Allee Bonnard, Managing Partner for Audit and Assurance, Deloitte UK, at the time. ICAEW Insights (interview), “How Deloitte is reshaping its audit training for the AI age”, Apr 1, 2026. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
Financial Reporting Council, UK audit regulator (Audit & Assurance Sandbox output), at the time. FRC Innovation and Improvement Hub, Audit & Assurance Sandbox, “Determining materiality for small and medium-sized entities (SMEs)”, Jun 4, 2026. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
Mark Babington, Executive Director of Regulatory Standards, Financial Reporting Council, at the time. FRC press release, “Innovative new guidance supports audit firm adoption of emerging AI technologies”, Mar 30, 2026. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
Richard Jackson, EY Americas Assurance Chief Technology Officer; Global and Americas Assurance AI Leader, at the time. EY, “Autonomous AI implementation outpaces oversight”, Sep 15, 2026. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
Stephen Parker, Assurance partner, PwC’s Governance Insights Center, at the time. Center for Audit Quality (CAQ) report of its November 2025 webinar, “Fostering Constructive Dialogue with the External Auditor”, Dec 18, 2025. Open the source. Checked against the published text.

Last reviewed Nov 10, 2026