Are we facing a war of machines?

Of course, not even the IT experts from our company can give you a precise answer to this question, and probably no one else either. Let's hope it doesn't take long.

However, we also touched on this vision as part of our block at a conference with international participation called Internal Audit Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow , which was a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Czech Institute of Internal Auditors and also a general celebration of the existence of internal audit as an independent industry in the Czech Republic.

On behalf of ITS, the general partner of the event , we prepared an introduction to a topic close to our hearts – the development of information technology over time, key milestones and "game changers" that have influenced entire industries. All this in the context of auditing, subsequent regulations and standards that have gradually emerged around the entire area.

The slightly exaggerated block titled Hasta la vista, baby with the subtitle Internal Audit Terminators: Are We Awaiting a War of Machines? attempted to summarize more than five decades of development in IT and auditing in a few dozen minutes.

Internal audit, which is now an integral tool for both large and smaller organizations around the world, has naturally undergone significant changes over the course of its history. Our article focused precisely on the fact that the role of auditing is no longer merely a control activity, on the complexity of the field, and on the high demands placed on auditors in areas such as the rapidly evolving field of information technology.

Mr. Lumír Srch Jr., CEO of ITS, and Libor Štourač , internal auditor and manager from ITS, spoke in a perfectly complementary tandem about the importance of auditing , also from the perspective of a company that supplies a wide range of services and products to clients in the Czech Republic and abroad.

And what about the machines? Good question. With the current decade seemingly headed for artificial intelligence and quantum computers, our colleagues estimate that in the near future we will certainly not avoid automation in many areas, and in many cases machines will replace us partially, but perhaps never completely. Let's hope so.

The message is clear and applies to all technological advances. Good servant, bad master. Let's use technological progress wisely to our advantage.

The two-day program was packed with industry-specific presentations by representatives from the Czech Republic and abroad, pleasantly interspersed with appearances by Father Zbigniew Czendlik and Red Bull Air Race world champion and former military pilot Martin Šonka, who spoke very engagingly and down-to-earth about his professional career in aviation.

The entire event was complemented by a beautiful gala evening in the Lobkowicz Palace , which is part of the Prague Castle complex, including the opportunity to tour private collections.

We thank the Czech Institute of Internal Auditors for their trust in us as a technology partner and the opportunity to participate in this important event in the form of a general partnership, for their interest in us and our services, and last but not least, for their long-term cooperation.