How ready is your firm for responsible AI use?
Most accounting firms are already using AI in some form. The harder question is: how well is that use actually governed?
The free AIGAS Self-Assessment gives you a quick snapshot of your firm’s current AI governance position — in around seven minutes.
Just a practical starting point.
Two simple questions, answered honestly.
You may already have more AI governance in place than you realise. Equally, there may be gaps that have simply never been considered because AI has developed faster than the policies and processes around it.
The AIGAS Self-Assessment helps you look at both. It is designed to answer:
What are we already doing well?
Where do we need stronger controls?
At the end, you receive an immediate readiness result showing your overall position, a breakdown of key areas and recommended next steps.
Five areas. One practical readiness check.
The questions draw across the six governance domains within the AIGAS Standard — strategy and purpose, risk and compliance, data protection and confidentiality, governance and accountability, operational controls, and ongoing review. The Self-Assessment turns those into a short, practical check across five result areas.
AI Usage Awareness
Do you know where AI is already being used?
This looks at whether your firm has visibility of the AI tools and AI-enabled systems already in use. That matters because AI may be present in far more places than standalone services such as ChatGPT — it may also be embedded within accounting software, productivity platforms and other systems your team already uses.
Governance & Responsibility
Is somebody responsible for AI governance?
This looks at whether responsibility is clear and whether there are basic governance arrangements around the use of AI. The AIGAS Standard requires responsibility for AI governance to be assigned and includes requirements around acceptable use and staff awareness.
Risk & Compliance
Has the firm thought about what could go wrong?
AI can create risks around accuracy, confidentiality, professional responsibility and compliance. The assessment looks at whether those risks have been recognised and whether the firm is beginning to manage them. AIGAS requires firms to identify, assess and manage risks associated with AI use.
AI Controls & Oversight
Are there practical safeguards around how AI is used?
This considers whether the firm has appropriate controls around AI outputs, staff behaviour and professional use. AI should support professional work rather than remove professional responsibility for it — the Standard includes requirements around human review, correcting errors and staff awareness.
Strategy & Future Readiness
Is your firm prepared for AI use to grow?
AI governance is not only about the tools being used today. This considers whether the firm is beginning to think more deliberately about how AI will be adopted, managed and reviewed as its use develops — the AIGAS framework includes ongoing monitoring and review because AI technologies and working practices continue to change.
One click. Instant clarity.
Once you complete the questions, you receive an instant readiness result. This includes:
- An overall readiness score
- An indication of your current risk or readiness position
- A section-by-section breakdown
- Visibility of your strongest and weakest areas
- Recommended next steps based on your answers
The purpose is not simply to give you a score. It is to help you understand what to do next.
This is not a certification assessment
The Self-Assessment is an informal readiness check. It does not award AIGAS Bronze or Silver certification. You are not required to upload evidence, and your answers are not treated as an assurance review.
Formal AIGAS assurance is evidence-based and requires organisations to demonstrate that the relevant controls have actually been implemented. The Standard makes clear that self-declaration without supporting evidence is not sufficient for assurance.
The Self-Assessment is simply there to help you understand your starting point.
You do not need to prepare
There is no need to gather documents before taking the assessment. The questions are designed to help you reflect on your current position. Answer based on how your firm operates today.
If you discover that you do not know the answer to a question, that can itself be useful. It may highlight something worth investigating.
Is a low score a bad thing?
Not necessarily.
Many firms are only beginning to formalise their approach to AI governance. A low readiness score does not mean your firm should stop using AI — it means you have identified areas where more structure may be appropriate.
The value is in knowing where you stand before a problem forces you to find out.
And if we score well?
That is useful too. The assessment can help confirm the controls and practices your firm already has in place — it may show that you are further along than expected.
From there, you can decide whether to formalise those arrangements further through AIGAS Bronze or Silver.
So the assessment is not only about finding problems. It is also about understanding: what are we already doing right?
There is no obligation to do anything.
Your result is there to help you decide what makes sense for your firm. Depending on your position, the next step may simply be to improve one or two areas — or you may decide to begin a more structured AIGAS pathway.
Start with visibility
If you do not yet have a complete picture of the AI being used across your firm, begin with the free AI Tool Register.
Create your AI Tool Register →Build the foundations
If your firm wants to put a recognised AI governance baseline in place, explore AIGAS Bronze.
Explore Bronze →Move towards structured assurance
If your AI use is more developed and you want a stronger governance framework, explore AIGAS Silver.
Explore Silver →The Self-Assessment and AI Tool Register are free.
Both are available within the AIGAS platform. You will need to create an account to access them. From there, you can build your AI Tool Register and take the AI Governance Self-Assessment without committing to certification.
This means you can begin improving visibility and understanding your current governance position before deciding whether AIGAS Bronze or Silver is appropriate.
Create your free account →You may discover strong controls already in place — or gaps that have never been considered. Either way, you’ll have a clearer picture than you had before.
See how ready your firm is for responsible AI use.