KPMG will soon be using artificial intelligence for audits in Australia

KPMG plans to use IBM's Watson cognitive computing technology for its professional services in Australia. The artificial intelligence deal with IBM includes a focus on audit and assurance services. IBM's Watson has been doing everything from diagnosing cancer and recommending treatment to analysing the Harry Potter books and running online university courses. "Already, data and analytics techniques are transforming audit by allowing analysis of much bigger populations of data than traditional sampling from which to draw conclusions," says Duncan McLennan, KPMG's national managing partner of audit. "Cognitive technology will allow us to build on these data and analytics advances.