It’s October, and you’re either in the thick of audit season or staring down year-end close approaching while new accounting, tax and compliance requirements loom. Your finance team is juggling audit prep, compliance updates, and daily operations with the same headcount you had five years ago. Budget constraints haven’t eased, yet workloads keep growing while you navigate rising expectations for transparency, evolving technology pressures and cybersecurity threats, and the daily demands of serving your community. Sound familiar?
Low-cost and no-cost Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions can help you work smarter without straining your budget or adding complexity to your operations. Here are five AI tools that can reduce your workload once implemented.
Important Security Requirements Before Using Any AI Tool
Government entities face unique compliance requirements when adopting AI tools. Before implementing any of these solutions:
- Verify your organization’s acceptable use policy and AI governance requirements
- Consult your IT department about approved tools and data classification rules
- Confirm you’re using government-grade licenses, not consumer versions
- Never upload documents containing Personally Identifiable Information (PII), taxpayer data, or confidential information to external AI platforms
- Ensure all meeting participants consent to AI transcription before recording
Some AI features available in commercial software may have limited availability in government cloud environments (GCC Government Community Cloud, GCC High, DoD). Always verify feature availability with your vendor before planning implementation.
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Leverage Excel’s Built-In AI Features
If you have Microsoft 365, you may have access to AI-powered tools that work within your existing system. Government Microsoft 365 environments (GCC, GCC High) have different feature availability than commercial licenses, so verify with your IT department which AI capabilities are active in your tenant before implementing these workflows.
The “Analyze Data” feature lets you ask questions in plain language: “Show me spending trends by department over the last three years” or “Identify outliers in monthly expenditure data.” Excel generates pivot tables, charts, and insights without the need for you to build additional formulas.
Power Query automates data merging and cleanup. Set up your query once for fund reconciliations or departmental reporting, and it handles the repetitive work every time you refresh your data.
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Check Your Current Accounting System for AI Capabilities
Many enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems now include AI features you may not realize are available in your existing subscription. Tyler Technologies, Workday, Oracle, SAP, and QuickBooks have rolled out capabilities like auto-matching bank reconciliations, intelligent general ledger (GL) coding suggestions, and anomaly detection.
Contact your software vendor and ask what AI features are included in your current subscription and how to activate them. Many government entities discover they’re already paying for AI features they’ve never activated.
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Automate Meeting Notes with Built-In Tools
Microsoft Teams and Google Meet both offer built-in transcription for government-approved tenants. Check with your IT department to confirm these features are activated in your environment.
Use voice recording to build procedures. Instead of typing step-by-step instructions for month-end close, record yourself explaining the process. The AI transcribes it, you clean it up, and you have documentation ready for your team. This can also be applied to internal control narratives that your auditors may be asking you to create or update annually.
Note: AI transcription works well for internal notes and procedure documentation. For official Board or Council minutes requiring legal accuracy, always review transcripts carefully as AI can misinterpret technical terminology and proper names.
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Use ChatGPT to Draft Audit Documentation and Responses
OpenAI launched ChatGPT Gov in January 2025, designed specifically for U.S. government use with enhanced security for Department of Defense (DoD) Impact Level 5 (IL5), Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS), International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and FedRAMP High compliance. Over 3,500 agencies are already using it. Check with your IT department about access.
If ChatGPT Gov isn’t available yet, the free consumer version of ChatGPT can handle first drafts after you check your IT policy for clearance. However, never upload any documents containing PII, taxpayer data, or confidential information to consumer-grade AI tools.
Start with a prompt similar to this: “Draft a variance explanation for why General Fund revenue came in eight percent over budget due to higher property tax collections.” The AI generates a professional explanation in seconds. You review it, adjust the numbers, add specific context, and finalize it.
Use the same method for audit responses. Feed ChatGPT the auditor’s finding and ask it to draft a response outline. You maintain control over accuracy and final decisions while AI handles getting words on the page. Always verify AI-generated content for accuracy before submitting official documentation.
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Use AI for Quick Technical Research
ChatGPT can also provide quick summaries of Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) guidance, Ohio Revised Code (ORC), Ohio Administrative Code (OAC), or Uniform Guidance (UG) requirements.
Upload publicly available documents like the Ohio Compliance Supplement (never upload confidential organizational data) and ask specific questions, such as: “How are auditors testing creation of new funds?” or “What ORC governs a county selling or leasing real property?” Or “When does the $10,000 capitalization threshold for federally funded purchases go into effect?”
Critical: AI is a starting point, not the authoritative source. Always verify against official standards before making decisions or citing guidance.
Start Smart
Pick one tool from this list and pilot it this week in a non-sensitive area. If it works, document your process and expand your use. Add a second tool next month once you see the results and have refined your approach.
Your judgment and technical knowledge remain essential. These AI tools handle routine tasks, so you can focus on strategic work that requires your expertise.
At Rea, we help Ohio government entities implement efficient workflows while maintaining Uniform Guidance compliance, GASB standards, and data security requirements. Our Government Services team works with counties, municipalities, school districts, community schools and other governmental entities to balance innovation with compliance. Contact us to discuss practical solutions that work within your IT and security constraints.
