Beyond the Three Lines: How AI Can Finally Make Combined Assurance Work

The Institute of Internal Auditors Presents: All Things Internal Audit Tech In this companion episode to Internal Auditor magazine's "Better Together" article, Paula Michaels talks with Ashwathama Rajendran about how AI can support more connected, continuous, and coordinated assurance across the three lines. They discuss why combined assurance can be difficult to achieve in practice, how AI can act as a connecting layer across risk, compliance, operations, and internal audit, and why human judgment, independence, and data privacy remain critical. HOST: Paula Michaels Senior Director of Creative and Content Services, The IIA GUESTS: Ashwathama Rajendran Data Analytics Lead, Stripe All opinions are Ashwathama Rajendran's own and do not represent his employer, and all scenarios discussed are hypothetical and based on broad industry experience rather than any specific organization.   KEY POINTS: Introduction and Ash's Background [00:00:30 - 00:02:05] Why Combined Assurance Struggles in Practice [00:02:17 - 00:04:21] AI as a Connecting Layer Across the Three Lines [00:04:33 - 00:06:29] Creating Real-Time Combined Assurance Maps [00:05:37 - 00:06:09] Continuous Monitoring Integratio