# AI for Federal Financial Reporting and Audit Readiness Course (Self-Paced)

Canonical URL: <https://www.graduateschool.edu/courses/ai-for-federal-financial-reporting-and-audit-readiness-course-self-paced>

## Overview

This half-day course equips federal financial professionals with the skills to apply AI as a practical tool for improving financial reporting accuracy and audit readiness. Participants will learn how to use AI to research accounting standards, analyze financial statement data, assess internal controls, and prepare for audits — all while maintaining data integrity and compliance with federal reporting requirements. No prior AI experience is required.

## What you'll learn

- Explain AI fundamentals and responsible use principles in a federal financial reporting context
- Use AI to research and interpret federal accounting standards (FASAB, USSGL, Treasury guidance)
- Apply AI tools to analyze financial statement data for anomalies, inconsistencies, and material misstatements
- Leverage AI for internal control documentation, risk assessment, and corrective action plan development
- Construct effective prompts for audit preparation, including NFR response drafting and evidence compilation
- Verify AI-generated financial outputs against authoritative sources (FASAB standards, Treasury FMR, OMB Circulars)
- Recognize limitations of AI in financial reporting and when professional accounting judgment is required

## Curriculum

#### Module 1: AI Fundamentals for Financial Reporting Professionals

- How AI language models work and their application to financial reporting
- Responsible AI use with financial data and audit information
- Protecting sensitive financial data, PII, and audit working papers
- Recognizing AI hallucinations in accounting and compliance outputs

#### Module 2: AI for Federal Financial Reporting

- Researching FASAB standards and USSGL guidance with AI assistance
- Analyzing financial statement line items and note disclosures using AI tools
- Using AI to identify data anomalies and potential misstatements
- Drafting Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) sections with AI support

#### Module 3: AI for Audit Readiness and Internal Controls

- Applying AI to internal control documentation and A-123 assessments
- Using AI to draft responses to Notices of Finding and Recommendation (NFRs)
- Corrective action plan development and tracking with AI tools
- DATA Act compliance analysis and reporting with AI assistance

#### Module 4: Hands-On Workshop

- Participants apply AI tools to realistic audit readiness scenarios
- Practice prompt engineering for accounting research and financial analysis queries
- Cross-check AI outputs against FASAB standards and Treasury guidance
- Group exercise: Using AI to prepare an audit readiness briefing package

## Instructors

### Steve Pesklo — Instructor

Steve is an energetic trainer who focuses on applying technical concepts to everyday work practices. He is the founder and president of SoftLake Solutions, a company that specializes in providing data and AI applications to identify fraud for Internal Audit, Criminal Investigations, Forensic Accounting, Privacy, and Compliance.

Steve brings a large amount of experience across multiple industries and government agencies. He is an expert in implementing large data analysis projects across the world, including Inland Revenue in the UK and Argentina, New Zealand, Africa and across Europe. Previously, he was the manager of Data Architecture and Data Services for a large mortgage company. He is a frequent speaker on data analytics and project management topics and speaks fluent German. He has been teaching at the Graduate School for over 10 years.

Steve has an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas and a B.S. in Computer Science from California Lutheran University and the Universität Salzburg in Austria. He is certified as a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Project Management Professional (PMP), and a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM).

## Pricing

**Tuition:** $675