INTHEBLACK February / March 2026 - Magazine - Page 41
Businesses face mounting
pressure to balance rapid AI
innovation with ethical, legal
and operational accountability.
Australian companies are
currently using voluntary
standards and existing
legislation to guide AI use.
Accountants and finance
professionals are emerging
as key players in AI
governance.
The AI
governance gap
Artificial intelligence is rewriting the rulebook for business innovation,
but the rules themselves have not yet been written. In Australia’s private
sector, leaders are racing to adopt AI while regulators play catch-up.
Words Beth Wallace
AI ADOPTION IS SURGING.
The CPA Australia Business Technology Report
2025 shows AI use in business rose from
69 per cent in 2024 to 89 per cent in 2025,
with the percentage of businesses using it
“all the time” doubling in that period.
Accounting and finance teams are reaping
the benefits by using AI to enhance data
analytics and insights, support research and
communication, and streamline management
accounting tasks. Yet as adoption grows,
so do questions about whether the
technology is being used responsibly.
intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au 41
