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AI Proofreading and Audit Tools

Six of the UK’s biggest financial names have just backed a homegrown AI model built to keep sensitive data off foreign servers, while the government has finally put money behind free AI advice for small firms. This issue covers, the free support landing through Business.gov.uk ahead of mandatory e-invoicing in 2029, how to get ChatGPT or Claude to proofread your next big document properly and whether Cortea earns its place in an audit firm’s sign-off process.

Prompt Engineer

Proofreading your own work is hard because you already know what you meant to say, so mistakes get missed. This prompt turns AI into a thorough editor, auditing your document against your own house style rules and giving you clear suggestions to action yourself. If your document includes customer or employee details, remove names and other identifying information before pasting it in, in line with UK GDPR.

Act as a professional proofreader and editor for a UK-based business. I’m going to give you a document below, along with some context about how it should read. Review the document with this context in mind and give me a full audit, structured as follows:

  1. Spelling and grammar: List any errors, using UK English spelling and conventions.
  2. Clarity: Flag any sentences or paragraphs that are hard to follow, and suggest a clearer version.
  3. Tone and consistency: Note anywhere the tone doesn’t match the style described below.
  4. Structure and flow: Comment on whether the document is easy to navigate, and suggest improvements to headings, order or formatting.
  5. Factual or logical issues: Flag anything that seems inconsistent, contradictory or unclear in meaning.

At the end, give me a short summary of the three most important fixes to make first.

Suggest changes only. Don’t rewrite the document in full.

Context for this document:

  • Tone of voice: [Insert a short description, e.g. ‘warm and professional, not overly formal’]
  • Audience: [Insert who this document is for, e.g. ‘existing customers’ or ‘new suppliers’]
  • Anything to keep unchanged: [Insert e.g. ‘don’t touch the pricing section’ or ‘keep all headings as they are’]

AI Updates Roundup

From high street banks to government departments to your own team, this week’s news all points the same way: AI is moving from talking point to working infrastructure for UK business.

Overview

  • Major UK banks are backing a homegrown AI model built to keep sensitive data on British soil.
  • The government has set out how small firms will get AI-powered advice and support.
  • New research shows most UK firms expect AI to grow their headcount, not shrink it.

Lloyds, NatWest, HSBC, BT, LSEG and PwC have joined forces with British start-up Cosine to help build ‘Lumen Sovereign’, a UK-only AI model.

  • So what? A model that never has to leave UK servers means less to worry about if you handle sensitive customer data.

The government has confirmed free AI-powered advice is coming for small firms through Business.gov.uk, alongside plans for mandatory e-invoicing from 2029.

  • So what? Getting proper tech advice no longer means paying consultant rates and there’s a run-up before e-invoicing becomes compulsory.

New research from Box finds 65% of UK organisations expect AI to grow headcount over the next three years, well above the global average.

  • So what? The jobs panic hasn’t matched reality here, though nearly half admit AI has already exposed data it shouldn’t.

Firms are “increasingly waking up to the risk of being wholly dependent on foreign providers.” – Alistair Pullen, Cosine CEO.

Let AI proofread before you send

Before you send anything that matters, run it past an AI tool first. It takes two minutes and it might save you from an awkward follow-up email.

Overview

  • AI catches typos and inconsistencies fast, but can still get things wrong itself.
  • Never upload sensitive documents without checking the tool’s data policy first.
  • Tell it exactly what to check for a proper result.

Typos in a client proposal are embarrassing. A wrong figure in a contract can be expensive. AI can help you catch both.

Tools like Grammarly and Microsoft Copilot will flag spelling, grammar and inconsistent formatting in seconds. Upload a document to ChatGPT or Claude and ask it to check for factual errors, contradictions or missing information and it will consider the whole document, not just skim it like a tired colleague at 5 pm.

This is not about replacing a proper review. AI can miss context and it can be wrong. But as an extra pass before a document goes to a client, a lender or a regulator, it catches the errors that are easy for a human to read straight past.

But before you rely on it, keep this in mind:

  • AI is strong on typos, grammar and inconsistent formatting, but weaker on catching a wrong number that’s grammatically correct. A fee that should read £5,000 but reads £500 can slip through unless you ask it to check figures specifically.
  • AI can get it wrong too. Treat every flagged error as a prompt to check, not a fact to act on.
  • Never upload a client contract or financial document to a free AI tool without checking its data policy first. Some tools train on what you upload by default, and that setting is usually worth turning off.
  • Tell the AI exactly what to check: numbers matching across pages, dates in order, names spelled consistently, terms matching the original brief. A vague request gets a vague check.
  • Free tiers often cap file size or page count. A long contract may need a paid plan or splitting into sections.

Quick Review: Cortea🔍

Cortea is an AI review layer for audit firms that checks financial statements, disclosure notes and workpapers before sign-off. Built with UK and European audit firms and backed by a former KPMG global audit chief, it’s aimed squarely at practices under pressure to raise audit quality without adding headcount.

Key Takeaways

What’s Good ✅:

  • Flags inconsistencies and Companies House filing discrepancies in minutes rather than hours
  • Sits alongside existing audit systems, with auditors keeping final sign-off
  • Reviewed 4,000+ audit reports last season, saving several days per engagement

What’s Less Good ❌:

  • Pricing is not published, so you’ll need to contact Cortea directly for a quote
  • Deeper integrations with specific audit platforms are still being built out
  • Young company with less long-term track record to compare with established audit software providers

Impact on Your Business 📈: For UK audit and assurance practices, this tool sits at the riskiest point in the process: the final review before a report is filed. Catching inconsistencies here reduces the chance of a costly restatement or regulatory scrutiny further down the line, while freeing up senior staff to focus on judgement calls rather than manual checking.

Financial ROI 💰: The main saving is time. Firms using Cortea reportedly cut several days of manual review per engagement, which adds up quickly across a busy audit season. Catching errors before sign-off also reduces the risk of expensive rework or compliance issues after filing.

Price Point 💳: Cortea has not published pricing. You’ll need to book a demo through its website to get a quote for your firm.

Upcoming Events & Conferences 📅

A Business Wales summit for Welsh SMEs and micro-businesses looking for practical, no-cost support to get started with AI.

For AI, cyber and defence suppliers wanting early sight of the MOD’s frontier AI capability needs.

For HR, L&D, operations and finance leaders wanting a plain-English rundown of levy-funded apprenticeship routes into AI skills.

An evening of talks and networking for founders and builders working hands-on with AI tools.

For leaders tracking AI infrastructure costs, energy constraints and the UK’s compute strategy.

Training & Skills Development 🎓

Part of the government’s Business Academy ‘Explore AI’ series, covering segmentation, sentiment analysis and pricing for growing businesses.

Another Business Academy session, this one on using AI for demand generation, lead scoring and campaign nurturing.