Richard Chambers Releases New Edition of Trusted Advisors, Defining the “Human Edge” in the Age of AI

New edition provides a forward-looking roadmap for audit, risk and governance professionals navigating increasing risk velocity and rapid AI adoption

Optro, the leading AI-powered GRC Intelligence Platform, announced that Richard Chambers, Optro’s Senior Advisor, Risk and Audit, renowned author and speaker, and former CEO of The Institute of Internal Auditors, has released a newly expanded and revised edition of his foundational book, Trusted Advisors: Key Attributes of Outstanding Internal Auditors.

The new edition provides a forward-looking roadmap for audit, risk and governance professionals as they navigate an era of increasing risk velocity and rapid AI adoption.

Building on the foundation of Chambers’ previous bestsellers, including The Speed of Risk: Lessons Learned on the Audit Trail, Agents of Change: Internal Audit in the Era of Permacrisis, and Connected Risk: Conquering the Perilous Risk Exposure Gap, the updated third edition re-examines the essential traits of outstanding internal auditors while offering a message of informed hope and optimism for the future of the profession.

As AI increasingly automates retrospective assurance and transactional data processing, Chambers argues that human auditors remain more important than ever for providing context, critical reasoning and trusted insight.

“While AI possesses extraordinary capabilities, it does not eliminate the need for human audit teams,” said Richard Chambers. “In an era of rapid change and increasing automation, organizations desperately need teams who can exercise judgment, navigate complexity, build trust, and demonstrate ethical resilience. This book serves as a guide for auditors to elevate their value proposition from checking controls to inspiring strategic change.”

Drawing on survey data from global audit executives, recent research, and more than 50 years of experience in internal audit, Chambers outlines a modernized framework built around two core pillars:

Human Superpowers

These are uniquely human traits that technology cannot replicate, including critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, dynamic communication, insightful relationships, and inspirational leadership.

Human Enablers

These are essential capabilities that must be combined with technology, including AI acumen, ethical resilience, a results focus, open-mindedness, and deep technical expertise.

“AI is reshaping the mechanics of risk and assurance, but human judgment and trusted relationships are what turn information into insight people can act on,” said Andrew Struthers-Kennedy, Global Lead, CAE Solutions at Protiviti. “In this new edition of Trusted Advisors, Richard Chambers offers a timely and practical guide to combining AI capability with the distinctly human qualities internal auditors need to earn trust, exercise sound judgment, and remain relevant in an increasingly complex world.”

The new edition of Trusted Advisors highlights the evolving role of internal auditors as organizations adopt AI and face increasingly complex risk and governance environments, emphasizing the importance of combining technological capabilities with distinctly human qualities.