four actions to take now.
by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research
the potentials and requirements of artificial intelligence are still a massive unknown. so far, we’re getting only a distant whiff of what’s to come.
yes, ai is already serving us with doing research, composing letters, filling in blanks and taking best guesses. but turning it into a multifunctional workhorse is still a workhorse in progress.
more: allison schlegelmilch: leadership lessons from firm mergers | cas can play a critical role in clients’ vendor selection | artificial intelligence: it’s a matter of time | ai will steal your job. and that’s a good thing | allan koltin: how small firms can thrive against pe-powered competitors | the power of community in accounting | desperate cfos are outsourcing accounting functions | tax and accounting jobs and salaries show strength | olympics of outsourcing and offshoring for accountants | new study: strong and steady growth for accountant jobs and salaries
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
while the ubertechies are working on that, the rest of us should be figuring out how we have to change to accommodate ai, to avoid its pitfalls and make best use of its potential.
a withering of skills
thomson reuters’ 2024 future of professionals survey probes some of these issues with accountants, attorneys and risk managers. the respondents reveal plenty of concerns about the downsides of ai and the new skills it will require.
the most common concern wasn’t over job loss, which was a big fear back in the good old days of 2023. back then, 19 percent of respondents thought that was the big threat. a year later, it’s worrying only 10 percent.
the big new worry is that professionals will become overreliant on technology, allowing their hard-earned skill sets to wither away. a staggering 29 percent fear that happening to them.
in a curious contradiction, 19 percent are concerned about ai being used for malicious purposes, such as fraud, and 13 percent foresee challenges in privacy, confidentiality and transparency. yet only 9 percent see the connection to data security.
an ai battlefield
it’s not hard to imagine an invisible, light-speed ai battlefield in which a cpa firm’s ai is in constant struggle against the ais of illicit data-hunters, deep fakers, hack-scamers and transnational fraudsters.
at the same time, tax authorities, market speculators and government regulators are going to assume that cpa firms and other organizations have ai at their disposal. requirements could become more demanding and complex.
jobwise, that’s good news. for those with the right attitude, iq and adaptability, whole new professions will be expanding or opening up.
the top skill, say 72 percent, will simply be “enthusiasm for new technologies.” and just about as important, say 71 percent, is “adaptability to change.”
think about it. those are two skills that aren’t taught at college.
in fact, college doesn’t teach much about the skills that tax and accounting professionals say will be increasingly important. the big ones are
- efficiency (reported by 61 percent),
- problem-solving (56 percent),
- creativity (53 percent),
- proactivity (52 percent),
- communication (52 percent) and
- resilience (49 percent).
new roles
harnessing the potentials of ai while guarding against its dangers will require the creation of new and additional roles, according to 85 percent of respondents.
top among them, reported by 39 percent: the ai specialist focused on legal/tax/risk, fraud and compliance.
second and third: it support (37 percent) and cybersecurity specialist (35 percent).
nearly as common: ai implementation manager (33 percent) and ai-specialist trainer (32 percent).
what to do?
in other words, there’s an upheaval coming, and those who can heave upward are the ones who will thrive in the ai world. to that end, thomson reuters recommends four broad actions to take right now.
evaluate your current knowledge of ai and your ability in the human skills that will fill in ai’s shortcomings.
be responsible for your organization’s data security plan and ai policies.
adopt ai tools now, use them as much as possible and keep adopting.
plan how to use your freed-up time – whether to invest that time in new skill development or to kick back and get your head together for a more relaxed and satisfying life.
one response to “ask not what ai can do for you, ask what you can do for ai”
roger rotolante
the ai is a tool . a piece of software. it will benefit those who use it. it will concentrate tremendous power.
given human nature it will only do what its users want. in the hands of a tyrant it would enslave the world.
in the hands of an auditor it will uncover fraud. in the hands of a criminal it will commit crime. there is no tether on ai right now, thus i am sure your worst fears will come true. my hope is that the first true ai will be on my side.