AIGAS Holds First Founding Advisory Board Meeting
AIGAS Holds First Founding Advisory Board Meeting
AIGAS has held its first founding Advisory Board meeting, bringing together experienced voices from across accounting software, risk, compliance, technology, governance, legal, AI and business transformation.
The purpose of the meeting was to bring independent challenge and practical insight into the development of AIGAS as we continue building a sector-specific AI governance framework for accounting firms.
This was not a ceremonial meeting. It was a working discussion about where the accounting profession is heading, what firms are struggling with, and how AIGAS can help them adopt AI responsibly without making governance feel heavy, abstract or unachievable.
Firms cannot govern what they cannot see.
Who Attended
The meeting was chaired by Salmaan Nasser, Founder of AIGAS.
Why AIGAS Exists
AI is already being used across the accounting sector. Sometimes directly. Sometimes through tools like ChatGPT, Copilot or Gemini. Sometimes quietly, inside the software firms already rely on.
The challenge is that many firms do not yet have clear visibility of what is being used, who is using it, what data is being entered, what risks exist, or what level of approval is in place.
That is the gap AIGAS is designed to close.
AIGAS is built around a simple principle: firms cannot govern what they cannot see.
The Advisory Board discussion strongly reinforced the need for practical, proportionate and sector-specific governance that works for real accounting firms — not just large organisations with dedicated compliance teams.
Understanding the Accounting Profession
One of the strongest themes from the meeting was the need to understand how accountants think and work.
Accountants are struggling to get their heads around how they will use it. They don’t really see the path they need to be taking. They don’t know what it can do, what it can be trusted to do.
CCO TaxCalc · Advisory Board member
This is exactly why AIGAS is focused on practical guidance rather than theory. Accounting firms are not asking for abstract AI commentary. They need a clear route from awareness, to visibility, to governance, to evidence.
Andy also made an important distinction between AI governance and existing compliance requirements such as AML. AML is often viewed as something imposed externally. AI is different because it touches the actual craft of accounting — accounts, tax, advisory work, client communication and professional judgement.
That makes governance more sensitive, but also more important.
Governance as an Enabler, Not a Blocker
AIGAS has always taken the view that AI governance should enable adoption, not prevent it.
The meeting explored how language matters. For many smaller firms, the word “governance” can sound complicated, expensive or intimidating. AIGAS is therefore using phrases such as AI hygiene, professional responsibility and visibility first to make the subject more accessible.
The aim is not to scare firms away from AI. It is to help them use it confidently.
If you don’t, you’re going to end up in a world of hurt when your competitors do it quicker, better, more economically than you.
Risk, compliance and strategic advisory specialist
That is why governance matters. Firms that adopt AI without controls may create risk. Firms that avoid AI completely may fall behind. The sensible path is responsible adoption.
A Practical Standard for Real Firms
The Board discussed the development of the AIGAS Standard, including the pathway from the free AI Tool Register through to Bronze, Silver and ultimately alignment with ISO/IEC 42001.
The tiered structure was well received because it allows firms to start with manageable steps.
I like the quick wins concept. You need to build momentum. And then obviously the laddering that goes with Bronze, Silver, Gold — I think it’s really well judged.
AI, technology and governance specialist
This reflects the core AIGAS philosophy. A small or medium-sized accounting firm should not have to jump straight into a complex enterprise-level AI management system. It should be able to start with visibility, then build maturity over time.
The Board also discussed how the Standard may need to evolve as AI itself changes. Generative AI, agentic AI and AI embedded inside existing accounting software may all require slightly different treatment in future versions.
You will get more of that distinction between generative AI, agentic stuff, and the AI which is actually pegged into ERP and other software that people are using anyway.
AI, technology and governance specialist
For now, the priority is to give firms a usable starting point. But the Standard will continue to evolve as the technology and the risks evolve.
AI Literacy, Resilience and Risk
The Board also discussed the importance of AI literacy.
As AI becomes more embedded in firms, staff will need to understand not only how to use AI tools, but also where the boundaries are. That includes data handling, client confidentiality, hallucination risk, human review, accountability and appropriate approval.
If you look at all of the documentation of compliance and regulation that we’re familiar with, most of them have glossaries. They set their stall out in clear terminology.
Project, business analysis and technology specialist
This is a valuable point. For AIGAS to be useful, the language must be consistent. Firms need to understand what is meant by terms such as AI tool, AI system, owner, approval, risk classification, human oversight and evidence.
Risk is a risk, but operational resilience is about when the risk is actually taking place and there’s been a breach.
Risk, resilience and governance specialist
This is particularly relevant as firms begin using AI in client-facing, operational or decision-support processes. Good governance must include prevention, but it must also include response, accountability and recovery.
AIGAS Must Practise What It Promotes
Another important theme was the need for AIGAS to hold itself to the same standards it asks of others.
Your company, being AIGAS, needs to meet its own standards for governance. We can’t be telling people what to do if our own house isn’t in appropriate order.
Risk, resilience and governance specialist
That challenge is exactly why the Advisory Board exists. AIGAS is being built with external challenge, practical scrutiny and professional input from the beginning.
The Board also discussed legal structure, independence, data handling, conflicts of interest and the longer-term relationship between AIGAS and PPCS. These are important considerations as AIGAS develops from an early-stage initiative into a recognised framework and certification pathway.
The AIGAS Platform
During the meeting, the Board was shown a preview of the new AIGAS platform.
The platform is designed to help firms:
- ✓record the AI tools they use
- ✓assign owners
- ✓classify risk
- ✓track approval status
- ✓identify gaps
- ✓follow a pathway towards Bronze and Silver certification
- ✓upload evidence
- ✓generate AI policies and reports
The free AI Tool Register remains the starting point. It gives firms visibility of AI use across the organisation and creates a practical first step into responsible AI governance.
The Board responded positively to the progress made so far.
The platform’s looking great. A really good interaction with that platform… you’re far ahead of some of the legacy tools that I’m using through work.
Risk, compliance and strategic advisory specialist
It’s also quite distinctive. It comes across as well positioned.
AI, technology and governance specialist
I’ve been wowed by how far you’ve got, not just with the platform, but with your engagement, the meetings I’ve been with you, and the message you send and how you send it. It is already really impressive, really mature.
Project, business analysis and technology specialist
That feedback was encouraging, but the meeting was also clear that this is still the beginning. The platform, Standard and certification pathway will continue to be refined with input from the Advisory Board, accounting firms and industry stakeholders.
What Was Achieved
The first Advisory Board meeting achieved several important things.
- ▸It brought together a strong group of independent advisers with experience across accounting, AI, governance, risk, legal, compliance, technology and operational resilience.
- ▸It confirmed that the AI governance gap in accounting is real.
- ▸It reinforced that the AIGAS approach must remain practical, proportionate and sector-specific.
- ▸It identified areas for further development, including terminology, evidence requirements, AI literacy, data classification, operational resilience and the future treatment of agentic AI.
- ▸It also validated the staged AIGAS pathway: start with visibility through the AI Tool Register, then help firms progress towards Bronze, Silver and ultimately ISO/IEC 42001 alignment.
A Strong Step Forward
The meeting ended with a clear sense that AIGAS is addressing a real and growing need.
The recognition is there that there needs to be something like this.
CCO TaxCalc · Advisory Board member
That matters. AIGAS is not trying to create fear around AI. It is responding to what is already happening in the profession.
AI adoption is accelerating. Firms are experimenting. Software vendors are embedding AI. Clients, insurers, regulators and professional bodies will increasingly expect firms to understand and evidence how AI is being used.
The role of AIGAS is to help accounting firms meet that challenge with confidence.
This first Advisory Board meeting was an important milestone. It confirmed the direction of travel, strengthened the thinking behind the Standard, and reinforced the need for practical AI governance built specifically for the accounting profession.
Building Practical AI Governance for Accounting Firms
AIGAS is being shaped through independent challenge, practical industry insight and a clear commitment to making AI governance usable for real firms in the accounting profession.
If you would like to learn more about AIGAS™, the Advisory Board or the AI Tool Register, we would be pleased to hear from you.
Please get in touch: hello@ppcs.uk
PPCS
PPCS specialises in cybersecurity and governance for accounting firms, helping practices implement Cyber Essentials, ISO 27001, and now AI governance through AIGAS™.
Our focus is simple: practical, achievable frameworks that improve resilience, build trust, and enable growth.
Director, Prime PC Services (PPCS)