AI & the future of accountancy

Make well-informed, robust decisions about how to use AI within your organisation.

AI is changing how organisations make decisions and serve their customers.  Managers and business leaders need to understand AI's capabilities and limitations to ensure it is used responsibly.

This practical course explains how today’s AI works, where it can create value and what can go wrong. Through the latest case studies, discussions and hands-on exercises, delegates will develop the confidence to assess AI opportunities, challenge assumptions and support responsible adoption within their organisations.

At the end of this course, delegates will be able to:

• Explain, in accessible terms, the main types of AI and how they differ.
• Evaluate potential AI use cases by considering business value, feasibility and risk.
• Use generative AI tools more effectively through structured prompting.
• Recognise important limitations and risks, including inaccurate outputs, bias, confidentiality, intellectual property and over-reliance.
• Apply key principles for the safe, ethical and responsible use of AI.

Use generative AI confidently, productively and responsibly in your everyday work.

Many people use ChatGPT or other large language model (LLM) at work, but very few have received training on how to engage effectively with this powerful technology.

This highly practical course shows delegates how to identify suitable tasks, write and refine effective prompts, and critically review AI-generated work. It also addresses the risks that arise when generative AI is used in a professional environment, providing practical safeguards for safe, ethical and responsible use.

At the end of this course, delegates will be able to:

• Explain in accessible terms how LLMs generate their responses.
• Identify workplace tasks for which LLMs are (and are not) well suited.
• Structure and refine prompts to produce more useful and relevant outputs.
• Use LLMs to support productivity, creativity, analysis and decision-making.
• Critically review AI-generated content for accuracy, relevance and unsupported claims.
• Apply practical safeguards relating to confidentiality, bias, intellectual property and responsible use.

Responsible AI takes more than good intentions.

As organisations adopt AI, they must address questions that extend beyond technical performance. Who is accountable for an AI-assisted decision? How should risks be assessed? What level of human oversight is appropriate? How can organisations demonstrate that an AI system is being used fairly, transparently and responsibly?

This course helps professionals move from high-level ethical principles to practical governance. Through current case studies, structured frameworks and interactive exercises, delegates will explore how to identify risks, establish accountability, implement proportionate controls and respond to relevant regulatory and professional requirements.

At the end of the course, delegates will be able to:

• Identify the ethical, legal, operational and reputational risks associated with different AI applications.
• Apply responsible AI principles to realistic workplace use cases.
• Compare different regulatory approaches, including the AI Act 2024, and recognise when specific requirements may apply.
• Develop proportionate governance and controls across the AI lifecycle.

Turn responsible AI principles into a clear, practical policy for your organisation.

AI is already being used in many organisations, often without consistent controls or management oversight.  An effective AI policy can help an organisation realise the benefits of this technology while managing legal, ethical, operational and reputational risks.

This course guides delegates through the essential components of an organisational AI policy. Using a structured framework, case studies and interactive discussions, delegates will consider what their policy should permit, restrict and prohibit, as well as the responsibilities, controls and review processes needed to support responsible use.

At the end of the course, delegates will be able to:

• Understand how AI may already be used within an organisation, including unauthorised or “shadow AI.”
• Evaluate key risks relating to data, inaccurate outputs, bias, intellectual property, security, accountability and regulatory compliance.
• Explain the principles that underpin safe, ethical and responsible AI use.
• Determine which AI activities should be permitted, restricted or prohibited.
• Identify the essential components of an effective organisational AI policy.
• Apply a practical framework to create an initial policy outline.

Redesign work by helping teams to use AI confidently and responsibly.

AI is becoming part of everyday work, through both organisation-led initiatives and employees’ informal use of readily available tools. Leaders need to decide where AI can add value, which activities should remain human-led and how roles, responsibilities and skills need to evolve.

This course explores how people and AI can work together effectively without losing human judgement, accountability or trust. Delegates will examine opportunities to augment individual and team performance, identify the risks of poorly managed adoption, and develop a practical approach to introducing AI within their own workplace.

At the end of the course, delegates will be able to:

• Distinguish between tasks that can be automated, augmented by AI or should remain primarily human-led.
• Identify opportunities for AI to support productivity, creativity, analysis and collaboration.
• Evaluate the risks associated with formal and informal workplace use of AI.
• Demonstrate how to combine AI capabilities with human expertise and judgement.
• Clarify responsibility and accountability when work is supported by AI.
• Identify the skills employees and managers need to work effectively alongside AI.
• Address employee concerns and communicate organisational change with greater clarity.
• Create a practical action plan for responsible AI adoption within a team or organisation.

Understand how AI is reshaping the accountancy profession - and what you should do next.

AI is changing the services accountants provide and the expectations of clients and colleagues. They need to understand which activities are likely to be automated, where AI can augment their expertise and why human judgement remains essential.

This course provides a balanced, evidence-based examination of AI’s impact on accountancy. It combines academic research with current applications, including practical examples across audit, tax, financial management and business advice.

Delegates will explore how AI, automation and large language models can support accountancy work, consider the ethical and professional implications of their use, and identify practical actions to prepare for the profession’s continued evolution.

At the end of the course, delegates will be able to:

• Distinguish between AI and automation and explain their relevance to accountancy.
• Evaluate how AI may automate, augment or reshape different accountancy tasks and roles.
• Identify practical applications of AI and automation across a range of accountancy activities.
• Assess how large language models such as ChatGPT can support accountancy work while recognising their limitations.
• Explain the importance of human judgement, professional scepticism and oversight when using AI.
• Apply practical frameworks for implementing AI responsibly within an accountancy setting.
• Create a personal action plan for adapting as technology and the profession continue to evolve.