Generative AI in Accounting

Workshop Introduction
Intro
Workshop Objectives
• Understand generative AI's impact on Accounting
• Learn effective prompting strategies
• Develop practical applications for teaching
• Identify research opportunities
• Create discipline-specific AI integration plans
Intro
Current AI Landscape
• Latest developments in generative AI
• Key players and platforms
• Industry adoption trends in Accounting
• Educational implications
• Academic implications
• Ethical considerations
Intro
Faculty AI Usage Assessment
• Current adoption levels
• Common applications
• Implementation challenges
• Success stories
• Areas for improvement
2024 - 2025
Workshop Impact Metrics

The workshop is designed to accelerate AI adoption in academic settings, focusing on practical applications in Accounting disciplines.

Based on current academic AI integration trends - Gartner Education Insights, 2024
Introduction
Intro
Expanding Use Across Accounting

The use of generative AI – particularly large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT – is expanding across accounting. While adoption started cautiously, recent surveys show a rapid shift from skepticism to experimentation.

Intro
Presentation Contents
Use Cases
ACCT
Auditing and Assurance
Generative AI is being employed in both external audits and internal audit functions to automate document analysis, enhance risk assessments, and even draft audit workpapers and reports.
Adoption jumped from 15% (2023) to 40% (2024) among North American chief audit executives. [linkedin.com]
Overall use still nascent: only 18% of internal audit teams leverage any AI tools internationally. [linkedin.com]
ACCT
Tax and Compliance
Tax research: Sifts through vast tax code/guidance quickly.
Return preparation: Automates data extraction from documents (W-2s, 1099s).
Mid-2023: 78% believed GenAI could enhance work, but only ~9% used it. [tax.thomsonreuters.com]
Now: 8% of tax firms use GenAI, 13% plan to soon. [tax.thomsonreuters.com]
Impact: ~30% reduction in compliance time, 40% fewer errors. [gaper.io]
ACCT
Financial Reporting and Analysis
Accelerates financial close, drafts reports (MD&A, footnotes), provides analytical insights, and aids reconciliation.
Reconciliation time potentially reduced by up to 80%. [optimus.tech]
Finance staff traditionally spend ~30% time on reconciliations. [optimus.tech]
Nearly 40% of GenAI users save up to 10 hours/week. [aisera.com]
ACCT
Managerial Accounting and Planning (1/2)
Benefits budgeting, forecasting, cost management, and decision support through data analysis and plain language insights (e.g., "What happens if raw material costs rise 10%?").
Budgeting/Forecasting: Rapidly creates multiple scenarios, incorporates external inputs, enables iterative "what-if" planning. [techtarget.com]
Helps CFOs make better-informed decisions by uncovering hidden patterns. [techtarget.com]
ACCT
Managerial Accounting and Planning (2/2)
Cost analysis/reporting: Ingests data to find cost variance drivers and suggest savings.
Expense management: Categorizes expenditures, identifies anomalies. [techtarget.com]
Reported 50%+ efficiency gains in analysis tasks. [firmofthefuture.com]
Answering questions via chatbot cut research time in half or better. [firmofthefuture.com]
ACCT
Accounts Payable and Receivable (1/2)
Automates high-volume transactional processes (invoice processing, payments) and communications using AI/LLMs.
Accounts Payable: Streamlines invoice processing, extracts data, populates systems. LLMs improve on OCR by understanding context (e.g., payment terms, expense categories).
ACCT
Accounts Payable and Receivable (2/2)
Accounts Receivable: Assists collections with customized reminder emails based on payment history. Enhances cash flow forecasting by predicting late payments.
Personalized collections improve response rates. [linkedin.com]
Firms see 50–70% less manual AP effort. Monthly AR reconciliation up to 80% faster. [optimus.tech]
ACCT
Internal Controls and Risk Management (1/2)
Strengthens internal controls, compliance, and risk management by ensuring regulatory compliance, detecting fraud/anomalies, and automating control testing.
SOX compliance/testing: Generates first drafts of control narratives, risk-control matrices. Saves time writing documentation.
Policy/regulatory research: Quickly researches new standards/rules. US GAO pilot used AI to parse regulatory text. [linkedin.com]
ACCT
Internal Controls and Risk Management (2/2)
Risk Management: Drafts risk assessments/reports (e.g., audit plans). Identifies potential risks/mitigations from scenarios (e.g., "What if key supplier fails?").
Audit teams use ChatGPT-based tools for plans/summaries. [linkedin.com]
79% of financial firms view AI as critical for real-time risk analysis and compliance monitoring. [linkedin.com]
Tools and Applications
Auditing and Assurance Tools
ACCT Tool
KPMG Clara (Smart Audit Platform)

KPMG’s global audit platform embeds generative AI assistants to review documents for risk factors and scrutinize engagement-specific work papers.

Source: accountingtoday.com
ACCT Tool
Armanino “Audit Ally”

Mid-tier firm Armanino integrated generative AI into its Audit Ally compliance tool. Leadership noted that AI is “unlocking the transformative power of AI in the accounting and consulting space” by accelerating issue identification.

Source: accountingtoday.com
ACCT Tool
EY “AI in Canvas”

EY is embedding LLMs into its Canvas audit platform to handle unstructured data analysis.

Source: tax.thomsonreuters.com
ACCT Tool
PwC's ChatGPT Enterprise Rollout (“ChatPwC”)

Big Four firm PwC deployed a private ChatGPT-4 solution to 100,000+ employees, including assurance staff. Auditors can query standards, summarize client data, or generate audit documentation using this secure chatbot.

Source: thefinancestory.com, thefinancestory.com
Tax Preparation and Compliance Tools
ACCT Tool
H&R Block “AI Tax Assist”

Tax prep giant H&R Block introduced a GPT-4 powered assistant for DIY tax filers within its software. AI Tax Assist (built on Azure OpenAI) answers any tax questions in natural language – from clarifying tax form entries to explaining new tax law changes.

Source: cio.com
ACCT Tool
Intuit TurboTax – Intuit Assist

Intuit embedded a generative AI assistant across its products, including TurboTax. In TurboTax, Intuit Assist uses an LLM coupled with Intuit’s Tax Knowledge Engine to create personalized checklists and provide on-demand answers based on a customer’s situation.

Source: techcrunch.com, techcrunch.com
ACCT Tool
TaxGPT (AI Tax Co-Pilot)

An emerging commercial tool built specifically for tax professionals, TaxGPT uses fine-tuned LLMs to streamline research and documentation. It can answer nuanced tax questions by searching a built-in library of tax law, generate draft client memos, and even run scenario analyses for tax planning. For example, a CPA can ask TaxGPT to “summarize the Sec. 199A QBI deduction rules and their phaseouts” and get an accurate, cited summary in seconds.

Source: taxgpt.com, taxgpt.com, taxgpt.com
ACCT Tool
Thomson Reuters/SurePrep “Project Dilly”

Thomson Reuters is integrating GenAI into its tax software suite. One example is Project Dilly, a generative model from the SurePrep team that produces natural-language summaries of tax returns and provides filing insights.

Source: tax.thomsonreuters.com
Financial Reporting and Analysis Tools
ACCT Tool
Workiva Generative AI

Workiva (a leading financial reporting platform) integrated GenAI throughout its cloud software to assist with drafting and reviewing reports. Users can auto-generate first drafts of financial reports (e.g. MD&A sections, footnote narratives) and then refine them, shifting accountants “from content producers to content editors”. For instance, a controller can ask the AI to “draft a summary of Q4 results focusing on revenue drivers,” and get a solid draft in seconds, then polish the language.

Source: businesswire.com
ACCT Tool
Microsoft 365 Copilot (Excel & PowerPoint)

Many accounting teams are adopting Microsoft’s Copilot across Office apps to streamline reporting and analysis. In Excel, Copilot (powered by GPT-4) can analyze financial datasets via natural language prompts – generating pivot tables, variance analyses, or visual charts on command.

Source: cpeflow.com
ACCT Tool
Deloitte’s “GenAI Analyst” Scenario

Deloitte demonstrates how an internal GenAI assistant might support a financial reporting analyst in a corporate finance department. In a pilot scenario, a junior analyst used an LLM tool to research accounting guidance and draft an accounting position memo in one day rather than multiple weeks. The AI searched the company’s prior memos and applicable GAAP/SEC literature to produce a draft white paper on R&D cost capitalization, which the analyst then verified and fine-tuned.

Source: www2.deloitte.com, www2.deloitte.com
Accounts Payable and Receivable Tools
ACCT Tool
Intuit QuickBooks – AI Assist for AP/AR

Intuit Assist within QuickBooks helps small businesses manage invoicing and bills automatically. It can turn unstructured inputs (emails, notes, PDFs) into invoices or bills, fill in relevant details, and draft them for approval.

Source: cfodive.com, cfodive.com
ACCT Tool
Auditoria.AI (SmartBots for AP/AR)

Auditoria offers AI-driven finance “SmartBots” that handle routine AP and AR communications. These bots (powered by a blend of LLMs and finance-specific models) manage shared inboxes to deal with vendor and customer emails 24/7.

Source: auditoria.ai, linkedin.com, auditoria.ai
ACCT Tool
Vic.ai – Autonomous AP Processing

Vic.ai’s platform automates invoice processing and coding, and it has incorporated generative AI to boost speed and accuracy.

Source: vic.ai
Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management Tools
ACCT Tool
AuditBoard AI (Risk & Controls)

AuditBoard (a popular audit/risk management software) introduced generative AI features to draft and review control and risk documentation. Compliance teams often spend “thousands of hours per year crafting content and policy language” for controls, test plans, and audit reports.

Source: auditboard.com
ACCT Tool
Legislation and Policy Q&A (Claude Legis)

Accounting firms are beginning to use large-context LLMs like Anthropic’s Claude to navigate huge regulatory documents. For instance, one “Legislation Research Assistant” use case showed how Claude (with its 75,000-word context window) can ingest entire acts or standards and answer questions about them. Tax and compliance professionals have tested this with the Secure Act 2.0 and IRS Revenue Procedures – by prompting Claude to return verbatim excerpts relevant to specific queries, they quickly get the precise guidance needed.

Source: cpa.com, cpa.com
Academic Research
Current Accounting Research
ACCT Research
2024
AI vs. Human Judgment in Audits (Georgia Tech/Univ. of Alabama)

This comparison highlights how LLMs may behave differently from auditors, sometimes resisting biases, in audit-related judgments.

Source: papers.ssrn.com
ACCT Research
2024
Financial Statement Analysis with GPT-4 (Univ. of Chicago)

Suggests LLMs could take a central role in financial analysis, even without narrative context.

Source: arxiv.org
ACCT Research
2024
Core Earnings Measurement via LLMs (USC/Harvard)

Underscores how careful prompt engineering can harness LLM “reasoning” to improve financial reporting metrics and reduce manual effort in parsing complex disclosures.

Source: papers.ssrn.com
ACCT Research
2024
Integrating LLMs into Accounting Processes (Rutgers Univ.)

Provides technical guidance to bridge the gap between rapid AI innovation and practical accounting applications by comparing implementation strategies.

Source: papers.ssrn.com (Forthcoming in Journal of Emerging Technologies in Accounting)
ACCT Research
2024
LLM Passing Professional Accounting Exams (BYU et al.)

Demonstrates rapid progress in LLM capabilities, suggesting generative AI can now tackle complex, comprehensive accounting knowledge tasks.

Source: link.springer.com
Class Room Use
AI-Assisted Assignment Types in Accounting Courses
ACCT Teaching
Experiment at Sam Houston State University

Suggests that AI can supplement learning without replacing understanding.

Source: journalofaccountancy.com
ACCT Teaching
Using AI as a Writing Coach

A professor might have students prompt ChatGPT to draft a first version of a tax research memo, then ask students to critique and improve the AI’s draft. This exercise turns AI into a writing coach.

Educators note that ChatGPT’s writing is often technically sound but “lacks heart, soul, and authenticity”, so students learn to add the human touch back into AI-generated text.

Source: journalofaccountancy.com
ACCT Teaching
AI in Communication Exercises (Univ. of Colorado Boulder)

In a “World of Business” course, Professor Meghan Van Portfliet lets students conduct a debate via ChatGPT: student teams collaborate to craft effective prompts, then prompt ChatGPT to argue for or against a business issue and watch as ChatGPT debates itself using their arguments.

Source: colorado.edu
AI-Assisted Project Types in Accounting Courses
ACCT Teaching
Building an Accounting Chatbot (UTSA)

In an upper-level Professional Issues in Accounting course, student teams undertake a semester-long project to build an accounting-focused chatbot. They pick an accounting topic, train/program a chatbot (using LLM/AI API) to answer questions, and present its capabilities. This project is intentionally “all AI” to encourage deep exploration, while other course assignments prohibit AI use.

Source: utsa.simplesyllabus.com
ACCT Teaching
Co-Developing Chatbots & Facilitating Collaboration (Colorado Boulder)

Professor Jeremiah Contreras uses ChatGPT in an Accounting Ethics class to co-develop a custom chatbot based on the Sarbanes–Oxley Act. He also has students use ChatGPT to help draft “team contracts” for group work, essentially using AI to facilitate collaboration norms.

Source: colorado.edu
Agentic AI: The Next Wave
Agentic
2025
What Is Agentic AI?

Agentic AI represents the next evolution beyond generative AI, featuring proactive intelligent agents that work through steps toward a goal. Based on robotic process automation principles, these AI agents can understand objectives, plan actions, and execute tasks with minimal human intervention.

Source: Bain & Company, 2024
Agentic
Barriers to Adoption
• Limited generalization beyond narrow scopes
• Difficulty explaining AI decisions
• Challenges with undocumented workflows
• Poor cooperation among multiple agents
• Limited access to clean data and integrated tools
Organizations must address these barriers to successfully implement agentic AI solutions.
Agentic ACCT
Workforce Impact
• Productivity increases as employees become AI supervisors
• Roles shift as agents democratize technical skills
• Decision-making cycles accelerate
• Human collaboration remains critical
• Risk management becomes more complex
Economic shifts will occur as agentic AI transforms job functions and organizational structures.
Effective Prompting Strategies
Prompting
Prompting for Complex Tasks

Following are steps to take when prompting for complex tasks

Not all steps are necessary for every task

Prompting
Clear Context Setting
  • Define the AI's role clearly (e.g., forensic accountant, auditor, tax specialist)
  • Specify the desired output format (e.g., findings report, workpaper, tax memo)
  • Provide relevant background (e.g., company financials, industry context, prior issues)
  • State constraints or requirements (e.g., materiality threshold, specific regulations)

Effective prompting begins with clear context setting, significantly improving the quality and relevance of AI responses for accounting tasks.

"As a forensic accountant, analyze {attached transaction data 2022-2024} for Company ABC to identify potential indicators of fraudulent activity.

Focus on:
1) Unusual transaction patterns (timing, amounts, frequency)
2) Transactions with related parties or shell companies
3) Anomalies in journal entries (e.g., weekend postings, unusual accounts)

Present your findings in a report detailing potential red flags, supporting evidence from the data, and recommended next steps for investigation. Reference relevant fraud schemes where applicable."
Prompting
Specific Instructions
  • Break down complex tasks into clear steps (e.g., data validation -> analysis -> reporting)
  • Use clear, actionable language relevant to accounting/auditing
  • Include example outputs if helpful (e.g., sample workpaper format)
  • Specify evaluation criteria (e.g., compliance with GAAP/IFRS, audit standards)

Detailed instructions help ensure the AI's output aligns perfectly with your accounting needs and requirements.

"As a tax advisor, analyze the tax implications of {proposed acquisition described in attached memo} for Client Corp.

Prepare a tax memo that:
1) Identifies key tax issues related to the transaction structure (e.g., asset vs. stock purchase, tax basis step-up)
2) Researches relevant Internal Revenue Code sections and Treasury Regulations
3) Quantifies potential tax liabilities or benefits associated with the deal
4) Evaluates alternative structures to optimize the tax outcome
5) Recommends a preferred structure with clear justification citing relevant tax authorities.

Include citations for all tax code sections, regulations, and case law referenced."
Role-Based Prompting (Accounting Roles)
Prompting ACCT
General Accounting/Finance Role Prompting
  • Internal Auditor: Assessing control effectiveness, identifying risks
  • Financial Controller: Overseeing financial reporting, managing budgets
  • Tax Manager: Ensuring tax compliance, planning tax strategies
  • Forensic Accountant: Investigating financial irregularities, quantifying damages

Specifying general accounting/finance roles helps frame the context and expertise level for AI responses related to controls, reporting, tax, and investigations.

"As an internal auditor, review {attached process documentation for Accounts Payable} and {results of prior control tests} to assess the design effectiveness of internal controls.

Your assessment should:
1) Identify key controls related to invoice processing, approval, and payment
2) Evaluate whether the documented controls adequately address relevant risks (e.g., duplicate payments, unauthorized purchases)
3) Note any potential control gaps or weaknesses based on COSO framework principles
4) Suggest improvements or additional controls to strengthen the process
5) Draft preliminary control test procedures for the identified key controls.

Format the output as a standard internal audit workpaper."
Prompting ACCT
Specialized Accounting Role Prompting
  • Audit Manager: Planning audit engagements, reviewing workpapers
  • Tax Specialist: Researching complex tax issues, advising on transactions
  • Compliance Officer: Ensuring adherence to regulations (e.g., SOX, GDPR)
  • Forensic Investigator: Conducting fraud examinations, preparing expert reports

Using specific accounting roles helps focus the AI on relevant domain expertise like audit procedures, tax law, regulatory compliance, or fraud investigation techniques.

"As an Audit Manager, develop a preliminary audit plan for the upcoming financial statement audit of {Client Name}, based on {attached prior year audit findings} and {current year risk assessment summary}.

The plan should include:
1) Identification of significant accounts and disclosures based on materiality and risk
2) Proposed audit strategy (reliance on controls vs. substantive approach) for key cycles (e.g., revenue, inventory)
3) Outline of planned audit procedures for high-risk areas
4) Preliminary resource allocation and timeline considerations
5) Key areas requiring specialist involvement (e.g., IT audit, valuation).

Reference relevant PCAOB auditing standards where applicable."
Chain-of-Thought Prompting
Prompting ACCT
Problem Decomposition (Accounting Context)
  • Break down complex accounting issues (e.g., financial statement discrepancies)
  • Identify key accounts, transactions, and control points
  • Create logical sequences for investigation (e.g., reconciliation -> transaction tracing -> control testing)
  • Build step-by-step resolution approaches

Chain-of-thought prompting helps tackle complex accounting problems by breaking them down into logical analytical steps.

"Let's investigate the discrepancy identified in the {Accounts Receivable aging report} compared to the {General Ledger balance} step-by-step:

1) First, confirm the cutoff dates and parameters used for both reports.
2) Next, perform a detailed reconciliation between the AR sub-ledger and the GL control account. Identify specific reconciling items.
3) Trace a sample of large or unusual reconciling items back to source documents (invoices, cash receipts, credit memos).
4) Analyze journal entries impacting the AR control account for potential errors or misclassifications.
5) Review relevant internal controls over sales, billing, and cash application processes for weaknesses.
6) Synthesize these findings. What is the likely cause of the discrepancy?
7) Finally, propose adjusting journal entries needed to correct the balance and recommend process improvements.

For each step, explain the procedure and document the findings clearly."
Prompting ACCT
Solution Validation (Accounting Context)
  • Verify logical consistency in accounting treatments or audit conclusions
  • Check alignment with relevant accounting standards (GAAP/IFRS) or audit objectives
  • Test assumptions and potential impact on financial statements or audit risk
  • Review feasibility and documentation requirements of proposed solutions

Systematic validation ensures accounting solutions or audit procedures are robust, compliant, and meet professional standards.

"Critically evaluate the proposed {implementation plan for ASC 842 - Leases} using the following framework:

1) Assess the completeness of the lease identification process. Are all potential leases captured?
2) Review the assumptions used for calculating lease liabilities and right-of-use assets (e.g., discount rates, lease terms). Are they reasonable and supportable?
3) Evaluate the proposed journal entries and disclosure templates. Do they comply with ASC 842 requirements?
4) Consider the adequacy of the proposed internal controls over lease accounting.
5) Identify potential implementation challenges (e.g., data availability, system limitations, staff training needs).
6) Perform a sensitivity analysis on key assumptions (e.g., impact of different discount rates).
7) Compare this plan against best practices or guidance from accounting firms.
8) Provide a final assessment: Is the plan adequate? What revisions are needed? Justify your conclusions."
Advanced Prompting Strategies
Prompting ACCT
Few-Shot Learning Approach

Using examples helps the AI understand exactly what kind of accounting analysis, workpaper documentation, or reporting style you need.

"I've provided {three examples of well-written audit finding summaries from prior engagements}. Using these as reference models, transform {attached description of control deficiency in cash disbursements} into a concise audit finding summary for the audit committee report.

Your summary should follow the structure of the examples and include:
1) Condition: Clear description of the control weakness identified.
2) Criteria: Reference to the relevant control objective or policy.
3) Cause: Explanation of why the deficiency occurred.
4) Effect: Potential impact on financial statements or operations (quantified if possible).
5) Recommendation: Specific, actionable steps for management to remediate the deficiency.
6) Management Response (Placeholder).

Maintain a professional and objective tone, similar to the provided examples."
Prompting ACCT
Best Practice
Output Formatting

Clear output specifications ensure AI-generated accounting documents are immediately usable and meet professional or regulatory standards.

"Generate a draft Independent Auditor's Report for {Company XYZ's 2024 financial statements} following the standard PCAOB format for an unqualified opinion.

The report must include these sections in order:
I. Title: Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
II. Addressee: To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of Company XYZ
III. Opinion on the Financial Statements: Standard unqualified opinion language referencing the balance sheet, statements of income, comprehensive income, stockholders' equity, and cash flows, and the related notes.
IV. Basis for Opinion: Standard language regarding responsibility, registration, independence, and conduct in accordance with PCAOB standards.
V. Critical Audit Matters (CAMs): (Include placeholders for CAM descriptions - e.g., "Valuation of Goodwill", "Revenue Recognition for Complex Contracts"). For each CAM placeholder, briefly describe why it's a CAM.
VI. Signature Block: [Your Firm Name], City, State
VII. Date: [Date of Report]
VIII. Tenure Statement: "We have served as the Company's auditor since [Year]."

Use {attached final audit documentation summary} to inform the opinion and CAM sections. Ensure all standard PCAOB wording is included accurately."
AI Research Tools
Research
Research Flow [Visit Platform]
A visual research engine that creates interactive mind maps from academic papers and research materials. Features include connection identification between papers and concept visualization.
Enables visual exploration of research connections
Research
An academic search engine powered by AI that searches over 200M research papers. Uses language models and vector search to surface relevant papers, synthesize insights, and provide evidence-based answers to research questions.
Delivers research-backed answers with direct links to source papers
Research
Converts various content formats (YouTube, PDFs, documents, URLs, emails, recordings) into structured mind maps using advanced language models. Supports multiple LLM backends including GPT-4 and Claude.
Automates content visualization and summarization
Research
A document editing platform that specializes in transforming text into visual content. The platform offers AI-powered tools that convert written content into graphics, diagrams, and video snippets, enhancing communication and idea clarity.
Transforms text into visual elements for enhanced communication
Research
AnswerThis [Visit Platform]
A research assistant platform that processes academic papers and research documents to provide verified, source-based answers to specific queries. Includes comprehensive summarization capabilities.
Facilitates source-verified research inquiry
Hands-on Prompting Exercise
Beginner Exercise ACCT
Research Paper Analysis
Learn to extract key information from academic accounting papers (e.g., JAR, TAR) using structured prompting with PDF documents.
⏱️
Duration: 20 mins
👥
Format: Individual
📄
File: PDF/Word
Exercise Steps:
1. Upload an accounting research paper
2. Extract key sections (Abstract, Intro, Methods, Results, Conclusion)
3. Analyze methodology & theoretical framework
4. Identify limitations & research gaps
5. Generate future research directions relevant to accounting practice or standard setting
"Analyze this accounting research paper and provide: 1) Key findings summary, 2) Methodology assessment & theoretical contribution, 3) Research gaps cited, 4) Potential future research directions for practitioners or standard setters. Format as a structured report..."
Intermediate Exercise Teaching ACCT
Course Material Enhancement
Transform existing lecture notes, case studies, and syllabi for accounting courses (e.g., Audit, Tax, AIS) into enhanced learning materials with AI assistance.
⏱️
Duration: 25 mins
👥
Format: Individual
📄
File: Word/PDF
Source Materials:
- Accounting course syllabus (e.g., Intermediate Acct, Audit, Tax)
- Lecture slides/notes
- Case study descriptions
- Reading materials (e.g., FASB Codification excerpts, journal articles)
"Using this accounting course material, help me: 1) Create engaging discussion questions linking standards to practice, 2) Develop mini case studies illustrating key concepts (e.g., revenue recognition), 3) Design practical application exercises (e.g., preparing a workpaper), 4) Generate assessment rubrics for case analyses..."
Intermediate Exercise ACCT
Financial Data Visualization
Transform raw financial data (e.g., trial balance, sales data, budget variance) into meaningful visualizations and insights using AI-assisted analysis.
⏱️
Duration: 30 mins
👥
Format: Individual/Pairs
📄
File: CSV/Excel
Data Analysis Steps:
1. Data cleaning suggestions
2. Descriptive statistics & ratio analysis
3. Visualization recommendations (e.g., trend charts, variance analysis graphs)
4. Key insight generation for management/auditors
5. Draft executive summary of findings
"Analyze this financial dataset and: 1) Suggest appropriate visualizations for an audit analytics dashboard, 2) Identify key trends, ratios, correlations, and outliers, 3) Recommend relevant analytical procedures, 4) Generate a summary report highlighting potential risk areas or anomalies..."
Advanced Exercise Research ACCT
Literature Review Assistant
Organize and synthesize multiple research papers from accounting journals for comprehensive literature reviews on a specific topic (e.g., audit quality, tax avoidance, earnings management).
⏱️
Duration: 35 mins
👥
Format: Individual
📄
File: PDF/Word (Multiple)
Review Process:
1. Extract key theoretical frameworks & findings
2. Compare methodologies & sample characteristics
3. Identify common themes & conflicting results
4. Synthesize major contributions & debates
5. Generate thematic map or research matrix
"Review these accounting papers on [Topic, e.g., Audit Judgment] and create: 1) A comparison matrix of theories, methods, and findings, 2) Thematic analysis of the literature, 3) Identification of key debates and research gaps, 4) Synthesis of the current state of knowledge..."
Intermediate Exercise Research ACCT
Grant Proposal Enhancement
Improve grant proposals related to accounting research (e.g., behavioral accounting study, capital markets project) with AI-assisted analysis and recommendations.
⏱️
Duration: 30 mins
👥
Format: Individual
📄
File: Word/PDF
Enhancement Areas:
1. Strengthening practical/theoretical contribution statement
2. Refining research questions & methodology (e.g., experimental design, archival data analysis)
3. Improving budget justification & resource planning
4. Optimizing project timeline & milestones
5. Enhancing writing clarity & persuasiveness
"Review this accounting research grant proposal and provide feedback on: 1) Strengthening the significance and contribution, 2) Improving methodological rigor, 3) Optimizing the budget and timeline justification, 4) Enhancing clarity, focusing on criteria for [Funding Agency, e.g., AAA, FARS]..."
Advanced Exercise Research ACCT
Semantic Search Setup (Accounting Research)
Conceptualize setting up a semantic search system for your personal library of accounting research papers and professional standards.
⏱️
Duration: 40 mins
👥
Format: Small Groups (Discussing Approach)
📄
File: N/A (Conceptual)
Conceptual Steps:
1. Document preprocessing (chunking, cleaning standards/papers)
2. Vector embedding generation
3. Vector database selection/setup
4. Query formulation & optimization
5. Results ranking & relevance tuning
"Help me brainstorm effective semantic search queries for my accounting research library that can: 1) Find papers using similar theoretical frameworks (e.g., agency theory), 2) Identify studies with contradictory findings on [Topic, e.g., IFRS adoption impact], 3) Discover methodological gaps related to [Method, e.g., difference-in-differences], 4) Connect related concepts across different sub-disciplines (e.g., audit and tax)..."
Wrap-up and Next Steps
Bridging Theory and Practice in the AI Era of Accounting

Key Takeaways

  • AI integration across Accounting functions (Audit, Tax, Reporting, AP/AR, Controls)
  • Specific tools and applications transforming the profession
  • Emerging academic research on AI's impact on analysis, judgment, and education
  • Innovative pedagogical approaches for Accounting education

Next Steps

  • Explore AI tools relevant to specific Accounting courses
  • Develop assignments leveraging AI for tasks like data analysis or research
  • Integrate ethical considerations of AI in accounting practice
  • Foster research on AI's role in audit judgment, financial analysis, and compliance

Potential Impact

Efficiency
Automating Routine Tasks
Insight
Enhanced Data Analysis
Skills
Preparing Future Accountants
Resources Available
Presentation slides, tool links, research paper references
Support Network
Faculty community and ongoing technical assistance
"The future of accounting is intertwined with AI. Preparing our students and ourselves is paramount."
Workshop Facilitators