Workiva bets on trust as AI agents enter financial reporting

Artificial intelligence agents have become table stakes in enterprise software, but in financial reporting, audit and compliance, speed counts for little if the output cannot be defended. That gap between capable and correct is what sets governance-first platforms, such as Workiva Inc., apart from the wider agent rush, because someone eventually signs their name to the work.

The company used its Amplify user conference to put controls, data lineage and human sign-off at the center of its product roadmap. Trusted data and traceable output are the preconditions for putting agents anywhere near a regulatory filing, according to Deepak Bharadwaj (pictured), executive vice president and chief product officer of Workiva.

“It’s really about the risk profile of our buyers and users,” Bharadwaj said. “And because of who we serve in financial reporting and GRC and sustainability, what they want is the work that they do can be trusted because ultimately in many of these cases somebody is signing their name to it.”

Bharadwaj spoke with theCUBE’s Krista Case, principal analyst and practice lead for cyber resilience and security, and co-host Alison Kosik at Amplify, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. (* Disclosure below.)