While we are keen to harness the potential of AI at pace, we want to do so responsibly, respecting the evolving regulatory context in which we operate.
Key Contact
Dan Francis
Partner & Chief Innovation and Digital Officer
Artificial Intelligence has already started to transform the way we live and work. Our recent investments in the latest AI technology ensure we are at the forefront of developments, including how we embed AI practices into the way we serve our clients.
Our approach balances innovation with our commitment to integrity and quality to bring even more value to you.
We train our people to make the best use of AI tools. We also train them to understand the limitations of the technology and to recognise the role that they need to play in validating AI-assisted outputs.
Our experienced professionals remain accountable for all of our work and they are central to our client relationships.
AI technology augments what we do, rather than replaces it. We use the tech to do the heavy lifting, but decisions are made by people with years of experience and technical expertise.
We focus on delivering value while protecting your information, maintaining transparency and tailoring our services to your needs. Blending human expertise and technology lets us deliver a seamless service that supports your ambitions and does the right thing for business and society.
Our AI principles are:
Ethical Use: AI must augment our people and services in the right way and uphold the ethical standards of our profession.
Beneficial Outcomes: Our AI initiatives must benefit our clients, employees and communities, and align with our mission of positive social impact.
Safety & Risk Management: AI must respect rights and freedoms, including privacy, equality and non-discrimination. We have built safeguards to ensure this.
Reliability & Security: Our technology systems must be secure and reliable, with appropriate protections in place.
Transparency & Explainability: All AI programmes we use must be understandable and explainable
Fairness & Lawfulness: Our AI initiatives must operate fairly and within all legal, regulatory and ethical boundaries.
Assurance: Our internal assurance processes are designed and implemented to govern our use of AI.
We work to these strict principles when using AI and align with internationally agreed definitions for AI from the OECD.
We are instituting a robust governance framework – BDO GUARD - to provide our clients and people with a simple way to ensure AI is used safely and in the right way. Our use of AI is always compliant with our regulatory obligations.
While we are keen to harness the potential of AI at pace, we want to do so responsibly, respecting the evolving regulatory context in which we operate.
G - Governance
Ensuring that we have clear objectives for AI use, and that our AI systems comply with the relevant laws, regulations and industry standards.
U – Use
Making our AI decision-making processes understandable and accessible, and ensuring that our AI usage is underpinned by responsible AI principles.
A – Adoption
Proactively managing all of our AI systems from adoption to retirement, and prioritising user safety and wellbeing at all times.
R – Risk
Guarding our systems against unauthorised access and cyber threats. Creating clearly defined roles and responsibilities for those accountable for AI output.
D – Data
Protecting all personal, sensitive and restricted data when using AI applications and ensuring our technology is capable and secure.
In late 2023, we launched a secure, generative AI platform called Personas. It was designed and built by BDO to support productivity and efficiency.
One of its main features is the ability to take on the style and specialism of each user, using custom personas to refine prompts and receive tailored outputs.
Built using Microsoft AI technology, Personas operates in a secure environment to ensure confidentiality and data compliance. Personas is now used by the majority of our people on an active basis.
The platform allows us to work seamlessly alongside AI Agents, all governed by our processes, methodologies and regulatory frameworks.
AI technology is also embedded in a number of tools used across our business areas.
To accelerate the transition to new AI working models, we have invested further in BDO Labs, part of the Innovation and Digital Office, with over 100 people dedicated to advanced AI,R&D and digital products.
This team focuses on AI-enabled innovation, product build, integration and user adoption, ensuring that AI usage across BDO is secure, explainable and always enhances client value.
Investing in AI capabilities can help your business gain a competitive edge and help you understand the risks and opportunities you face.
Dan Francis