Will AI make audits obsolete?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) will not make cybersecurity audits obsolete, but AI will change how they are conducted. Cybersecurity audits involve evaluating an organization’s security controls, policies and practices against established standards (e.g., NIST 800-171, CMMC, or ISO 27001). While AI can automate parts of this process, human oversight remains essential to ensure audits are accurate, contextual and legally defensible.
Cybersecurity audits are more than a checklist exercise, requiring an understanding of how policies align with operational practices, interpreting control effectiveness and making risk-based judgments. AI can help by automating data collection, monitoring configurations and identifying anomalies across large environments. However, AI lacks the ability to evaluate intent, organizational culture, or governance maturity, all of which are crucial elements in an audit.
Moreover, regulatory frameworks still require qualified professionals to perform or validate audit activities. For example, CMMC assessments must be conducted by a CMMC Certified Third-Party Assessor (C3PAO) and these entities must document their findings based on real evidence, not just machine-generated output.
AI will continue to enhance audit readiness and streamline compliance by enabling continuous monitoring, automated evidence gathering and control mapping across frameworks. Rather than replacing audits, AI is likely to make them more efficient, reducing manual workloads and enabling real-time insight into an organization’s security posture.
While AI will transform how cybersecurity audits are prepared for and executed, it will not eliminate the need for audits or human judgment. Instead, it will become a valuable tool in the auditor’s toolkit, supporting, but not replacing, the audit process.