Hot on the heels of the successful Sustainability Accelerator Programme, ICAEW has created a second large-scale e-learning programme this time focusing on generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). 

GenAI is not a future concern, it is already reshaping the finance and accountancy profession. More than half of ICAEW Chartered Accountants surveyed in our 2025 member research confirmed that technology, automation and GenAI represented the primary opportunity and challenge for the profession.

“The finance and accounting profession has experienced waves of new technologies over the decades, but nothing like this,” says Peter Beard ACA, founder of GenFinance.AI, a specialist firm that supports finance teams and practices with GenAI adoption and was a key partner in making the programme. 

“The scope and scale of what GenAI can do, its flexibility and its cost-effectiveness mean unparalleled and democratised access to knowledge and capability. It is one of the most fundamental technological changes of our time. GenAI is levelling the playing field, empowering professionals at every level like no other technology previously before." 

ICAEW members can see the opportunities on offer with the technology – 85% of member survey participants confirmed they were willing to use AI - but at the same time many felt unprepared. A lack of training was seen as the key blocker to adoption.

To address this ICAEW has developed its GenAI Accelerator Programme, and members can now enrol and be among the first to take the course and get practical insight into tools such as ChatGPT, CoPilot and Grok.

“GenAI is incredibly empowering for users, no longer do you have to be a coder, an engineer or a programmer to access artificial intelligence,” says Beard. “The accelerator has been created to ensure ICAEW members can confidently experiment and engage with AI, with practical support on each stage of their GenAI adoption journey.”

Flexible step-by-step structure

The GenAI Accelerator follows a similar structure to its sustainability-focused predecessor and is made up of eight e-learning courses – the first of which is now live, with the remainder rolling out in the coming months.

Each course is divided into four or more modules each equating to an hour or so of study, comprising video and interactive elements, alongside written content and additional resources.

The first of the programme’s courses - which is freely available to ICAEW members and students - outlines the fundamentals, ensuring all those studying understand core AI concepts, techniques and platforms. It then discusses the ethical and regulatory considerations when considering GenAI and the value it can bring to data-led decision making.

A key consideration in the design of the programme, according to Beard is that it offers real-world insights into a range of platforms. “The course is tool agnostic, it offers walk throughs of ChatGPT (OpenAi), Grok (xAI), Perplexity AI (Perplexity), Microsoft’s Copilot and Google’s Gemini AI,” he explains. “The course takes a look at each tools strengths and potential use cases in finance.” 

The next set of courses in the programme build on the fundamentals placing the use of GenAI firmly in the finance and accountancy context and offer step-by-step guidance on integrating the technology into everyday tasks, including:

• finance operations;
• reporting and compliance;
• strategic planning and risk management; and 
• corporate governance and assurance. 

These modules will be available to ICAEW members at a heavily discounted rate of £60 per module, with the full programme available for £300, with three more courses due before the end of the year covering financial decision making, corporate reporting and tax compliance, and GenAI in professional practice.

Study your way

The benefit of the e-learning format is that members can study at their own pace, fitting in a module or two when works for them, and can choose focus on the areas that are most relevant to their needs. This is particularly evident in the way in which ICAEW has developed modules tailored to support those working in public practice and those within industry.

Those in practice will find support on AI adoption on practice management, but also according to services lines – ie potential applications within audit and assurance, financial reporting, tax services, advisory and restructuring. 

Meanwhile, the business-focused course offers industry-specific guidance, on financial services; retail and ecommerce; manufacturing; public sector; healthcare finance; construction and real estate; charity; and energy. 

The final course of the programme will cover implementation and change management, including how to develop a roadmap for adoption, assess readiness, engage teams and measure return on investment.

Five-step framework for adoption

At the heart of the programme, ICAEW offers members a five-step framework on GenAI adoption. “It’s not a rigid set of rules, but a guiding compass,” explains Beard. “The framework has been designed to offer chartered accountants a way to navigate this exciting new terrain.”

The five interconnected phases, are:

• Ideate and identify use cases – uncovering and defining potential use cases.
• Validate and prioritise – critically assessing the feasibility, potential impact and strategic alignment of use cases.
• Pilot and test – implementation of use cases on small, controlled scale to gather data, refine processes and build confidence.
• Scale and integrate – expanding successful pilots across the organisation and embedding GenAI into standard operating procedures.
• Monitor and continuously improve – tracking performance, adapting to developments and fostering a culture of ongoing learning. 

Each of these phases are discussed in detail in the first course of the accelerator, which members can now access. Alongside explaining why they are important to the implementation process, the course offers practical ways on how to approach each phase, including the questions to ask and examples of checklists and documentation. The modules then offer advice on how to move into the subsequent phase of the project.

“The aim of the course is to ensure members come away not only with the knowledge to use GenAI tools but with the confidence to make informed decisions and to lead adoption in their teams and organisations," confirms Beard.

“Accountants have the opportunity to get GenAI right first time and that time is now. It’s time to embrace and experiment!”

ICAEW members can enrol now to start their GenAI Accelerator journey and be among the first to know when each of the new courses open.