New EY-ACCA Paper Urges Structured AI Assessments to Build Trust and Performance

New EY-ACCA Paper Urges Structured AI Assessments to Build Trust and Performance

(IN BRIEF) The joint EY–ACCA policy paper “AI Assessments: Enhancing Confidence in AI” advocates for structured evaluations of AI systems across governance, compliance, and performance dimensions to ensure they meet legal, ethical, and operational standards. It outlines three assessment types—governance, conformity, and performance—identifies common challenges such as unclear objectives and inconsistent methodologies, and proposes actionable recommendations for business leaders to integrate assessments into risk management and for policymakers to establish clear, internationally harmonised frameworks and support market capacity-building.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 4-Aug-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — EY, in partnership with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), today released a policy paper titled “AI Assessments: Enhancing Confidence in AI,” outlining best practices for organisations and regulators to evaluate artificial intelligence systems. As businesses increasingly integrate AI to drive innovation, productivity, and growth, the report argues that comprehensive assessments—spanning governance, compliance, and performance—are essential to ensure AI solutions are trustworthy and effective.

The paper defines three core types of AI evaluations:

• Governance assessments, which examine the structures and processes overseeing AI deployment;
• Conformity assessments, which verify alignment with relevant laws, regulations, and standards;
• Performance assessments, which measure output against predefined quality and efficiency benchmarks.

Recognising the fast-evolving regulatory landscape—highlighted by initiatives such as the U.S. AI Action Plan—the report identifies common obstacles to robust AI assessment frameworks, including vague objectives, inconsistent methodologies, and a shortage of qualified providers. To address these gaps, it recommends that business leaders embrace both voluntary and mandatory assessments to bolster corporate governance, risk management, and stakeholder trust, while urging policymakers to clearly articulate assessment purposes, standardise criteria internationally, and support market capacity-building for high-quality, cost-effective evaluation services.

Marie-Laure Delarue, EY Global Vice-Chair, Assurance, emphasised the critical role of rigorous evaluations in unlocking AI’s full potential safely and responsibly. Helen Brand, ACCA Chief Executive, noted the importance of trust in scaling AI adoption and the need to cultivate the skills necessary to sustain a reliable AI ecosystem. The full report is available at ey.com.

Read the report: How AI assessments can enhance confidence in AI

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About ACCA

We are ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), a globally recognized professional accountancy body providing qualifications and advancing standards in accountancy worldwide.

Founded in 1904 to widen access to the accountancy profession, we’ve long championed inclusion and today proudly support a diverse community of over 252,500 members and 526,000 future members in 180 countries.

Our forward-looking qualifications, continuous learning and insights are respected and valued by employers in every sector. They equip individuals with the business and finance expertise and ethical judgment to create, protect, and report the sustainable value delivered by organisations and economies.

Guided by our purpose and values, our ambition is to lead the accountancy profession for a changed world. Partnering with policymakers, standard setters, the donor community, educators, and other accountancy bodies, we are strengthening and building a profession that drives a sustainable future for all.

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EY Global Media Relations and Social Media Associate Director – Tax and Assurance

SOURCE: Ernst & Young Global Limited