Start with one documented workflow and an accountable reviewer. Define what the AI may access, what it may produce, how errors will be detected, and what a successful pilot would mean before expanding its use.
Choose a bounded workflow
A pilot might draft variance commentary from approved figures, extract fields from a sample document set, or suggest transaction categories for review. Select a task with a clear input, output, and owner.
Document the current process first. If nobody agrees on the correct result or where the source data comes from, automation can make inconsistencies harder to spot.
Approve the data and access
- Identify whether the inputs contain client, employee, financial, or other confidential information.
- Review the proposed provider’s terms, retention, training use, access controls, and settings before supplying that data.
- Use synthetic or appropriately de-identified information for an initial trial where practical.
- Give the workflow only the access it needs and decide who can change it.
Make review specific
Ask the reviewer to compare outputs with source records, check arithmetic, and identify unsupported explanations. A fluent narrative is not evidence that a financial conclusion is correct.
For example, an AI-generated explanation of a revenue variance should cite the approved inputs and distinguish a documented cause from an unanswered question. Keep posting entries, releasing payments, and issuing final reports subject to the business’s established approvals.
Measure the full process
- Track review and correction time along with drafting time.
- Record error types, missing information, and cases the workflow cannot handle.
- Set acceptance criteria appropriate to the risk of the task.
- Keep a way to stop the pilot and return to the existing process.
Use a risk framework as a reference
NIST’s voluntary AI Risk Management Framework is a useful reference for considering risks across the design, use, and evaluation of AI systems. It does not certify a particular tool or eliminate the need for professional judgment.
The checklist here is a starting point for scoping a pilot. The right controls depend on the data, system, and decisions involved.
Official references
References checked September 24, 2026. Follow the linked agency guidance for updates.
General educational information. This guide does not determine the treatment of your particular tax, accounting, or financial situation. Contact us to discuss the facts and applicable requirements.
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