ITB DIGITAL Sep 2025 v3spreads - Flipbook - Page 44
“If you don’t even have basic knowledge
of AI, your advisory toolbox will be lacking
that next piece of gold or wisdom that
may change a client’s business.”
JASON ROBINSON FCPA, FUTURE ADVISORY
THE BIGGEST WINS
F E AT U R E
Here are three top recommendations for companies that want to gain more value from AI.
1. Empower leaders
As head of AI solutions at actuarial and
strategic analytics firm Finity, Dylan Neenan
is part of a new breed of technology experts
who are helping businesses manage and
govern AI use.
A trained actuary, he argues that more
businesses need dedicated AI leaders within
their ranks who understand humans and bot
technology alike, along with tech-related
governance issues.
“The governance factor is where a chief
AI officer is necessary, because when you
look at proposed mandatory guardrails,
accountability is core to confidently doing
AI,” Neenan says.
He adds that smaller entities may have to
bring in external consultants or adjust hiring
policies to onboard more tech-savvy talent.
2. Upskill teams
For firms wanting to maximise their AI results,
Neenan says to encourage all employees to
understand AI at a personal level — even if it
is just through using relatively simple tools such
as ChatGPT — before applying their knowledge
to a business context.
To help drive additional value from any AI
deployment, he advocates that organisations
44 INTHEBLACK Sep/Oct 2025 SPECIAL EDITION
get buy-in from the top-down, assign skilled
employees to execute AI strategies, and
understand legal, data and privacy risks
with AI.
It is also important to determine which platforms
and software are required, then decide if the
organisation needs to build internal capabilities
or bring in external expertise to execute.
3. Mitigate risks
Risk management and ethics must also continue
to be top of mind with any AI rollout or use,
according to Michael Davern FCPA, chair of
accounting and business information systems
at The University of Melbourne and a member
of CPA Australia’s Digital Transformation Centre
of Excellence. Davern points to accountants’
obligations under the APES 110 Code of Ethics
for Professional Accountants, and warns that
the release of confidential data on to the web
via a Gen AI platform could be damaging.
“Some people are just dumping information
into these ChatGPT and Copilot-type tools
without thinking,” he says.
Utilised appropriately, however, AI and Gen AI
give accountants insights that empower them to
become highly valued “data storytellers”, giving
them a chance to showcase their professional
judgment to clients, says Davern.
