Why Responsible AI Starts with Good Governance

At DataServ’s Confluence 2025, one session stood out for its relevance and impact. Audrey Katcher, Partner at RubinBrown, tackled a topic that’s keeping finance leaders up at night: how to make AI work for your organization without creating new risks.

RubinBrown is one of the nation’s leading accounting and business consulting firms, known for its deep expertise in assurance, tax, and advisory services across industries. As a partner in the firm’s Business Advisory Services Group, Audrey brings decades of experience in IT risk, cybersecurity, and digital transformation. She is also board member of the AICPA & CIMA, where she has contributed to thought leadership and helps shape standards in areas such as AI governance, data analytics, and information integrity.

Audrey’s message was clear: AI can transform accounts payable, but only if you understand it and govern it effectively. Her presentation broke down how strong governance not only keeps AI reliable and aligned with your business goals but also gives you a competitive edge.

The “Black Box” Problem

AI often feels like a “black box,” even when developers are transparent, the complexity of these systems makes it hard to understand how they reach their conclusions. Audrey explained why this creates accountability and trust problems, especially in finance.

“When senior leadership can’t explain how a system reaches its conclusions, it’s a recipe for mistrust,” she said.

In finance, blind trust isn’t a strategy. Frameworks like the EU AI Act and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework are designed to help organizations stay transparent, fair, and compliant. They’re not just regulatory checklists, they’re playbooks for using AI responsibly.

The Trust Gap

People are using AI tools more than ever, but trust hasn’t caught up. Audrey noted that while folks tend to believe what AI tells them, that confidence is often misplaced. “People have a very high degree of trust in systems like ChatGPT,” she said, “even though those tools are known to hallucinate.”

That gap between use and trust is exactly why governance matters. Businesses need clear policies, documented processes, and human oversight to keep their AI use auditable and accountable.

How to Govern AI the Right Way

Audrey walked attendees through the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, which organizes responsible AI into four simple functions: Govern, Map, Measure, and Manage.

Govern means having clear accountability and policies in place.
Map is about knowing where AI fits in your operations.
Measure tracks how it performs and checks for things like bias or drift.
Manage is how you fix issues and allocate resources when risks pop up.

She also previewed the upcoming NIST Cyber AI Profile, which will tie AI governance to cybersecurity, and explained how the EU AI Act’s risk-based approach helps organizations apply the right level of control.

The takeaway? Governance isn’t about slowing down AI adoption, it’s about moving forward safely.

Why Good Governance Gives You an Edge

Strong AI governance isn’t red tape; it’s a growth strategy. Audrey shared research showing that fewer than one-third of IT leaders say their organization has a formal AI governance structure, but those that do tend to move faster and make better decisions.

AI governance isn’t about bureaucracy. It’s about ensuring that AI aligns with your mission, values, and business goals. When that happens, AI stops being a shiny experiment and becomes a long-term business advantage.

What This Means for AP Leaders

For accounts payable teams, Audrey’s message hits close to home. AI can help automate invoice matching and data validation, but it also introduces new accountability questions.

DataServ CEO Jeff Haller followed Audrey’s presentation by explaining the safeguards that DataServ employs: SAFE AI, which stands for Secure, Assured, Financial-grade, and Ethical.

DataServ’s SAFE AI approach ensures that humans stay in charge. AI is there to make our jobs easier, not to take over decision-making. AI isn’t magic and it’s not the enemy; it’s a tool. When organizations understand their use case and build guardrails around it, AI becomes a real asset instead of a risk.

Responsible AI isn’t just safer, it’s smarter. And it’s exactly how we’re helping clients get real value from automation every single day. Ready to see how SAFE AI can transform your AP processes? Let’s talk.

Why Responsible AI Starts with Good Governance

The “Black Box” Problem

The Trust Gap

How to Govern AI the Right Way

Why Good Governance Gives You an Edge

What This Means for AP Leaders

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