Artificial intelligence is gradually becoming a natural part of everyday life and has the potential to become an important support tool across various areas of both public and private sectors. The conference, organised by the Supreme Audit Office of the Slovak Republic, was opened by the President of the Slovak auditors and First Vice-President of EUROSAI, Ľubomír Andrassy, together with the President of EUROSAI and State Comptroller of Israel, Matanyahu Englman, and the Slovak Government Plenipotentiary for Artificial Intelligence, Radoslav Štefánek. The President of the Supreme Audit Office of the Czech Republic, Miloslav Kala, also addressed the conference.

The Slovak national authority for external audit has sought to become a leader within public administration in implementing modern information technologies and the use of artificial intelligence. “Artificial intelligence will never replace an auditor, but it can significantly improve the quality of their work and the efficiency of time management,” stressed President Andrassy. At present, AI already assists Slovak auditors mainly in analysing large datasets, processing extensive information and documents, and supporting quality control and human resources management. The head of the Slovak auditors also pointed out that “artificial intelligence is, and will remain, only a tool, and its benefits depend on how each of us is able to use it as an assistant. Ultimate responsibility for decisions, their quality and professional basis always remains on the shoulders of people – employees of public or private organisations. This means that personal or criminal liability cannot be shared with AI tools or transferred to any modern digital or information technologies.”

According to the Government Plenipotentiary for Artificial Intelligence, Radoslav Štefánek, artificial intelligence could help the state reduce waste, accelerate decision-making, identify risks and improve the quality of public services. “We must not forget that technology should always be a means, not an end. The goal is a better state that manages resources more wisely, learns from its own mistakes, can explain its decisions to the public and earns greater trust from citizens,” he said. According to him, the aim must be to create a functional ecosystem in which technical security meets economic security and which ensures that artificial intelligence does not become a risk for the state, but rather a genuine benefit and a valuable opportunity.

“Artificial intelligence is a challenge we cannot avoid. The more we keep it in our own hands, the better it will serve us. Auditors must learn how to work with AI, but they must not become dependent on it, because decision-making based on poor-quality data is more dangerous than decision-making based on experience,” stated President Andrassy. “We need critically thinking individuals who can distinguish between information and manipulation. Such people are not created through bans, but through education,” he added.

The conference programme was divided into two parts. During the morning session, participants discussed whether artificial intelligence represented an opportunity or a risk for state and public administration. Speakers also presented practical experience with the current use of AI in audit practice in Slovakia, including cooperation with private technology partners. The second session provided an international perspective, with representatives of supreme audit institutions from abroad presenting their experience with the use of AI in audits, as well as methodologies for auditing AI systems themselves. Speakers at the international event included experts from audit institutions in Estonia, Austria and France, as well as representatives of professional associations and partner IT companies. The event was also attended by auditors from the United Arab Emirates, Slovenia and Hungary, alongside representatives of ministries, various state and local government institutions, and the academic community.