The AICPA and CIMA have introduced a skills programme aimed at preparing accounting and finance professionals for an AI‑enabled operating environment.
The initiative, referred to as the AI Accelerator Skills Programme, is intended to help finance teams and their leaders build the mindset, skills and governance structures needed to lead a responsible AI transformation.
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AICPA and CIMA Business Engagement and Growth executive vice-president Tom Hood said: “Our profession is at an inflection point.
“Finance leaders overwhelmingly agree that people drive transformation success – mindset, skills and leadership – not technology alone.
“The AI Accelerator gives professionals the tools they need to guide their organisations responsibly through this moment of change.”
The concept for the AI Accelerator emerged from an August 2025 session of the Future of Finance Leadership Advisory Group, which brought together chief financial officers and senior finance executives representing more than 50 Fortune 1000 companies.
The programme’s framework was subsequently refined through pilot projects with public accounting practices and corporate finance functions in the US and other markets.
The AICPA and CIMA said the new offering builds on their earlier work as the first organisation to secure registration from the US Department of Labor for an apprenticeship focused on finance business partner roles.
The AI Accelerator is organised into three learning tiers: strategic, transitional and operational.
The strategic tier concentrates on leadership, transformation planning, ethics and governance, positioning AI as a component of long‑term business strategy.
The transitional tier addresses generative AI, adoption models and change management to support the rollout of AI initiatives.
The operational tier is geared towards practical application, with emphasis on productivity gains, automation and the routine use of AI tools in day‑to‑day work.
The AICPA and CIMA say the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy-accredited programme is flexible and scalable, available as a full pathway or stand-alone modules.
Participants can earn up to 42 continuing professional education (CPE) credits and obtain a certificate on completion.
The AI Accelerator is available for business-to-business deployment through the AICPA’s Business Learning Institute or can be integrated into an organisation’s own learning management system for rollout across teams and large enterprises.
Last month, the AICPA and CIMA signed a three-year memorandum of understanding with the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors to strengthen finance and governance in Sri Lanka’s corporate and finance community.
