KPMG & Google Cloud launch AI agents for regulated sectors

KPMG has expanded its alliance with Google Cloud to launch new AI agents for regulated industries, including a finance deployment at Cardinal Health.

The initiative centres on Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise platform and targets operational and regulatory tasks in sectors where compliance controls are critical. The tools are intended to support organisations with complex business processes that require greater accuracy and auditability.

One of the first examples is at Cardinal Health, where KPMG has developed finance tools using Gemini Enterprise. The project aims to create what KPMG describes as an AI-native finance function, including an AI agent to handle pricing disputes, a process that is often manual and time-consuming.

The pricing disputes workflow is designed to automate parts of case handling and give analysts more structured insight. It is also intended to improve financial efficiency while reducing regulatory risk through tighter governance and clearer records.

"Gemini Enterprise is unlocking tangible business outcomes, fundamentally reshaping the world of work," said Kevin Ichhpurani, President, Global Partner Ecosystem, Google Cloud.

"Together with KPMG, we're enabling customers to deploy autonomous AI agents that move beyond simple automation to reason through complex regulatory hurdles, enhancing governance and precision in their most critical operations," he said.

Finance focus

Cardinal Health's finance operation is an early case study in how generative AI can be applied within a tightly controlled corporate function. The company, which operates in healthcare services and products, faces the kind of compliance demands that make governance a central issue in technology deployment.

Pricing disputes are particularly sensitive because they can involve large transaction volumes, multiple stakeholders and detailed record-keeping. By applying AI to that process, KPMG aims to reduce manual work while creating a more consistent workflow for finance teams.

"AI is giving us the opportunity to redesign finance work at a more fundamental level," said Alyssa Cox, Vice President, Transformation at Cardinal Health.

"With KPMG and Google Cloud, we are streamlining complex processes, improving how work moves across the function, and maximizing the value of every human keystroke so our teams can focus on higher-value analysis and decision-making. That foundation positions us to scale more efficiently and unlock additional working capital opportunities over time," she said.

Regulated sectors

The announcement reflects a broader push by professional services firms and cloud providers to position AI tools for industries such as healthcare, financial services and other heavily regulated sectors. In those markets, the challenge is often less about access to AI than proving systems can operate within internal controls, regulatory frameworks and audit requirements.

KPMG's role in the alliance is to combine industry and regulatory knowledge with Google Cloud's technology. The firm pointed to its background in audit, tax and advisory work as part of the rationale for offering AI systems with governance and accountability built into deployment and monitoring.

Mark Shank, Principal and Google Cloud Platform Leader at KPMG, said clients want partners that understand sector-specific risks as they adopt AI more widely.

"Our clients in regulated industries are eager to embrace AI, and they need a partner who speaks their language and understands their unique risks and responsibilities," said Shank.

"Our alliance with Google Cloud allows us to bring the power of Gemini Enterprise to bear on their most pressing issues. Our own experience has shown us how to deliver trusted, practical AI solutions built for the complexities of their world," he said.

Internal rollout

KPMG has also deployed Gemini Enterprise to more than 55,000 professionals worldwide. That internal use has given the firm practical implementation experience and helped shape the tools it develops for clients.

The rollout reflects a wider pattern across large advisory firms, which are testing generative AI in their own operations before taking similar tools to customers. This approach lets firms gather feedback on workflow design, governance and user adoption in-house before applying those lessons in client environments.

Alongside the product announcement, KPMG said it is building a Forward Deployed Engineering capability linked to its Google Cloud practice. Those engineering teams are intended to work directly with clients to adapt AI assets to business processes and technical systems, with a focus on implementation in live operating environments.

The move highlights how AI projects in large organisations are shifting from broad experimentation to narrower applications in core functions such as finance, where the business case depends as much on tighter controls as on improved efficiency.