A March 2026 article published by ISACA highlights how the digital risk landscape is changing rapidly, placing new demands on IT auditors and technology risk leaders. The article emphasises that emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and evolving privacy regulations are creating a new generation of risks that organisations must be prepared to audit and govern effectively.
For many organisations, these changes are not theoretical. Digital transformation programmes, increased reliance on cloud platforms, and rapid adoption of AI-driven tools have dramatically expanded the scope of technology risk. In this environment, traditional IT audit approaches are no longer sufficient on their own, and organisations must ensure that audit functions evolve alongside technological change.
The Expanding Digital Risk Landscape
According to ISACA, three risk domains in particular are emerging as priorities for IT auditors in 2026: AI governance, IoT security, and data privacy.
Artificial intelligence introduces unique governance challenges. Algorithms can make decisions at scale, influence business operations, and generate outputs that may not always be transparent or explainable. For audit professionals, this raises questions around model governance, bias, control oversight, and accountability.
At the same time, the rapid growth of IoT devices across enterprise networks creates new attack surfaces. Each connected device can represent a potential vulnerability, making visibility and monitoring more complex. Auditors increasingly need to understand how IoT systems integrate with existing infrastructure and whether appropriate security and control mechanisms are in place.
Privacy risk is another critical area. As regulatory frameworks continue to evolve globally, organisations must demonstrate that personal data is processed responsibly, securely, and in compliance with applicable laws. For IT audit teams, this requires closer collaboration with legal, compliance, and cybersecurity functions to ensure controls are operating effectively across the organisation.
Implications for IT Audit and ITGC Frameworks
For organisations operating in regulated environments, particularly those subject to SOX and internal control over financial reporting (ICFR), these emerging risks must be integrated into existing IT General Controls (ITGC) and governance frameworks.
ITGCs remain the foundation for ensuring reliable systems, secure access, and controlled system changes. However, as technology evolves, ITGC frameworks must also adapt. For example, organisations may need to extend access management controls to cover AI systems, or ensure that change management procedures apply to automated decision-making models and data pipelines.
In practice, this means internal audit teams should broaden their scope beyond traditional infrastructure reviews and incorporate technology governance and emerging risk evaluation into their audit programmes.
Capability and Skills Development
One of the key messages from the ISACA article is that the future effectiveness of IT audit depends on capability development. Audit teams must build knowledge across multiple emerging technology domains while maintaining strong fundamentals in risk assessment, control design, and governance frameworks.
For senior stakeholders, including CIOs, risk leaders, and audit committees, this highlights the importance of investing in skills development and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Encouraging auditors to work closely with cybersecurity, data science, and technology teams can help build practical understanding of modern systems and risks.
Training, certifications, and continuous professional development will also play a critical role in ensuring audit teams remain equipped to assess emerging technologies effectively.
Strategic Perspective for Senior Stakeholders
From a governance standpoint, the evolving digital risk landscape reinforces a key principle: technology risk is now enterprise risk. Boards and executive teams increasingly rely on internal audit and risk functions to provide assurance that digital transformation initiatives remain secure, compliant, and aligned with organisational risk appetite.
This places IT audit in a strategic position. Rather than focusing solely on compliance verification, modern audit functions are expected to provide insight into emerging risks, technology governance practices, and organisational resilience.
Closing Insight
The March 2026 ISACA article serves as a timely reminder that the role of IT audit is evolving alongside the technologies it evaluates. As AI, IoT, and privacy risks continue to expand, organisations must ensure their audit functions have the skills, tools, and governance frameworks required to provide meaningful assurance.
For senior stakeholders, the opportunity is clear: by strengthening IT audit capability today and integrating emerging technology risks into governance frameworks, organisations can build more resilient control environments and maintain confidence in their digital transformation strategies.
