Bulgaria to Modernize Public Auditing with AI-Powered ODIS Assistant

Bulgaria’s National Audit Office is set to transform its oversight capabilities through the integration of artificial intelligence, a move aimed at enhancing the transparency and efficiency of public procurement. Speaking at the Annual Meeting of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) of OECD member countries in Paris, Dimitar Glavchev, President of Bulgaria’s National Audit Office, announced the deployment of a specialized AI tool designed to handle the complexities of modern public finance. This initiative marks a significant step in the digitalization of Bulgarian state oversight, positioning the country among the early adopters of AI technology in the auditing sector.

The core of this technological shift is the "ODIS" AI assistant, which is built upon the BgGPT language model, a Bulgarian-developed artificial intelligence system. Initially, ODIS will be tasked with assisting auditors during public procurement inspections, where it will analyze documentation to identify potential irregularities. The long-term vision for the tool involves the processing of massive datasets that would be impossible for human teams to manage manually, including the automated review of complex contracts and the identification of patterns that might suggest financial mismanagement or systemic corruption.

Beyond procurement, the National Audit Office plans to utilize AI to broaden its reach across critical public sectors, including healthcare, education, and environmental management. By automating routine data verification, the AI assistant will allow human auditors to focus on more nuanced investigative work. Mr. Glavchev highlighted that these technological advancements complement ongoing efforts to ensure public accountability, such as the rigorous checks of asset declarations and potential conflicts of interest among public officials.

This announcement aligns with a broader trend among OECD countries, which are increasingly prioritizing the use of AI to safeguard public funds. While many nations are still in the pilot phase of such projects, Bulgaria’s commitment to ODIS reflects a proactive stance on institutional modernization. The Paris meeting also reinforced the necessity of independence for supreme audit institutions, as stipulated in the Lima Declaration, ensuring that even as technologies like AI evolve, the fundamental principles of impartial oversight remain intact.