July 2026

majidmumtaz.substack.com · Mar 28, 2026 · Curated 4 weeks ago

Beyond Awareness: Why Structural Changes, Not Just Training, Are Key to Overcoming Cognitive Biases in Governance

This article argues that common governance failures, such as anchoring bias in audit findings or attributing success to management skill, are not due to individual irrationality but rather to cognitive mechanisms operating in an unsuitable organizational environment. Drawing a parallel to optical illusions, the author posits that simply increasing awareness of biases (epistemic interventions) is insufficient because the distortions persist even when known. Instead, internal audit and assurance professionals should advocate for structural interventions that create parallel systems to counteract these inherent biases, ensuring more robust governance and decision-making.

News & Blogs · Global Read more

majidmumtaz.substack.com · Mar 28, 2026 · Curated 4 weeks ago

The Wrong Intelligence: Why Credentials Fall Short in Assessing True Governance Judgment

This article challenges the reliance on traditional credentials for assessing governance judgment, arguing that such certifications primarily test 'biologically secondary knowledge' (culturally transmitted, explicit instruction) rather than 'biologically primary knowledge' (naturally acquired, context-dependent social intelligence). For internal audit and assurance professionals, this highlights a critical gap: while credentials validate technical expertise, they often fail to measure the nuanced, intuitive abilities essential for effective oversight, such as detecting subtle deceptions or understanding underlying organizational dynamics. This perspective urges a re-evaluation of how we identify and cultivate the true competencies needed for robust governance.

News & Blogs · Global Read more

majidmumtaz.substack.com · Mar 30, 2026 · Curated 4 weeks ago

The Board Pack Paradox: Why 'Accurate' Information Can Obscure Operational Reality

This article delves into the inherent challenges of board reporting, highlighting how information, though accurate at each stage of compilation, can become systematically partial and detached from operational reality by the time it reaches the board. For internal audit and assurance professionals, this underscores the critical need to scrutinize the entire information supply chain to the board, ensuring that the 'translation' process doesn't inadvertently mask crucial operational insights or risks. Understanding this dynamic is key to providing truly independent and valuable assurance on the quality and completeness of information used for strategic decision-making.

News & Blogs · Global Read more

linkedin.com · Curated 4 weeks ago

The Agentic Illusion: Why AI Agent Personas Aren't Enough for True Intelligence

This article explores the "agentic illusion," arguing that defining AI agent roles in YAML, while useful for governance and portability, does not equate to true intelligence or agency. The author, through experiments with a custom-built library called RoleForge, demonstrates that the real intelligence in AI agents lies in the iterative "Think → Act → Observe → Repeat" loop, not merely in the persona description. The piece emphasizes that while YAML provides a crucial standardized interface for roles, it's the underlying execution loop and tool integration that enable an agent to perform complex, verifiable tasks.

News & Blogs · Global Read more

zhaomichelle.substack.com · Jul 5, 2026

AI Data Governance: The Critical Role of Provenance and Rights in Mitigating AI Risks

This article highlights the critical importance of data governance, provenance, and legal rights in managing AI risks, particularly concerning training data. For internal audit and assurance professionals, this underscores the necessity of robust controls over data sourcing, licensing, and consent to prevent significant financial, legal, and reputational damage. The parallels drawn with financial industry regulations like BCBS 239 emphasize that traceability and accountability for AI training data are not merely best practices but essential risk management imperatives.

News & Blogs · Global Read more

cpatrendlines.com · Curated 5 weeks ago

Alan Whitman Returns to Private Equity-Backed Accounting with New Triple-Threat Firm

Former Baker Tilly CEO Alan Whitman is re-entering the accounting landscape, leading a new private equity-backed firm, Nichols Cauley, which integrates CPA services, insurance, and transaction advisory. This move highlights the accelerating trend of private equity investment in the accounting sector, with a significant increase in deal volume and the emergence of new platform formations alongside traditional add-on acquisitions. The article emphasizes a shift from mere acquisition velocity to a focus on operational performance, integration efficiency, and the generation of higher-margin advisory revenue.

News & Blogs · North America Read more

corridor.dev · Curated 5 weeks ago

Corridor Testifies Before Congress on the AI Security Landscape

Corridor, a leading AI security company, recently testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. The testimony focused on the critical need for robust AI security measures to protect national security, economic stability, and public trust amidst the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence.

News & Blogs · North America Read more

zhaomichelle.substack.com · Jul 2, 2026

Navigating AI's Data Minefield: Technical Risks in the Design and Development Stage

This article delves into the critical technical risks associated with data in the AI model development lifecycle, a crucial area for internal audit and assurance professionals. It highlights how issues like training-data bias, poor data quality, unrepresentative data, data leakage, and data poisoning can silently undermine AI model performance and lead to significant business and regulatory exposure. Understanding these risks is paramount for auditors to effectively assess the reliability and integrity of AI systems from their foundational data.

News & Blogs · Global Read more

krebsonsecurity.com · Curated 5 weeks ago

FBI Seizes NetNut Proxy Platform and Popa Botnet, Disrupting Cybercrime Infrastructure

The FBI, in collaboration with industry partners, has seized hundreds of domains associated with NetNut, a residential proxy service operated by Alarum Technologies, and its underlying Popa botnet. This action follows reports linking NetNut to a network of at least two million compromised devices used for malicious internet traffic. The takedown is expected to significantly impact the cybercrime community, which heavily relied on NetNut's services for obfuscating their activities.

News & Blogs · Global Read more

linkedin.com · Curated 5 weeks ago

Are the Big 4 Too Big to Fail? Examining Recent Scandals and Market Dependence

Recent high-profile scandals involving Deloitte, PwC, and KPMG in Australia raise critical questions about the accountability of the Big 4 professional services firms. Despite significant ethical and governance failures, these firms largely remain dominant players, prompting concerns about whether the market's dependence on them limits the consequences for misconduct. The article explores if these are isolated incidents or symptoms of a system where allowing a major firm to fail is no longer a viable option.

News & Blogs · Oceania Read more