One of the world's largest accounting industry organizations is responding to anxieties that AI could eliminate some jobs in several industries, with one of its executives calling the response "urgent optimism."

Tom Hood, executive vice president of business growth at the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants and The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, acknowledged in an interview that some companies deploying AI may cut certain roles in their accounting or finance teams.

"But there are other companies we're working with that say, 'I'd rather have these employees use their full background to learn AI and automate accounting work to add value to the business,'" Hood told CFO Dive. "AI won't replace accountants. Accountants who use AI will replace those who don't."

To help finance executives master the AI skills needed to shape the future of accounting, the AICPA has launched a training program for finance professionals at all levels, aimed at teaching them to use AI and embed it into daily operations.

The program, called the AI Accelerator Skills Program, was designed based on a two-day training session last summer, when about 50 CFOs and senior executives attended the AICPA's Future of Finance Leadership Advisory Group event. To date, the program has been piloted at KPMG, one of the Big Four accounting firms, tech giant Cisco, and tool maker Stanley Black & Decker.

The program is offered online or in person and is divided into three learning "tiers": one for CFOs and senior leadership, focusing on strategic issues; one for finance teams adopting new processes, focusing on transition; and one for accountants who will actually apply AI, at the operational level.

Program costs vary by configuration, roughly ranging from $495 to $1,000 per person. Hood said the program is also suitable for workers across various specialties and job levels, including data analysts, financial analysts, FP&A team members, accountants, controllers, and CFOs.

Hood noted that education at all levels is crucial because AI will change the entire technology stack used by finance teams. For example, some younger employees may be assigned to oversee a group of bots, but they need to learn how to query these agents, test them, and determine whether information should be passed on to others within the company.

"AI just gets things done faster," Hood said. "Teaching people to think differently, apply AI, and use it to tell more stories about the business is where the real difference lies."

Hood said this is the first AI-related training program of its kind launched by the AICPA. The AICPA is responding to external requests for upskilling and aims to provide a trusted source of information so companies can avoid the risks of relying solely on their own internal training.

"Having the AICPA's endorsement adds an element of trust for finance teams when using AI, which is what everyone wants," Hood said.