Getting Started with AI:Practical Uses, Real Risks and What's Changing Fast

Note: The Live Virtual course is presented in collaboration with CPA Western Provinces. The content is applicable to all participants. If you have questions regarding this course, please contact pdregistration@cpaalberta.ca.

Overview:

AI is evolving rapidly, and professionals need clarity on what matters now. In this scourse, AI Strategists Vanessa Rementilla and Saad Nizari of Nucleations will discuss practical uses of AI across professional services, what’s changing quickly, and key risks and guardrails to consider. Drawing on real-world experience with Canadian organizations, the course focuses on responsible, defensible approaches to getting started with AI. The course concludes with an interactive Q&A.

AI adoption is no longer optional for the accounting and finance profession, and CPA Alberta members are increasingly expected to understand both its capabilities and its risks. This course is designed to help you meet that expectation responsibly. 

• Professional competence: The CPA Code of Professional Conduct requires members to maintain the knowledge and skill needed to serve clients and employers competently. As AI tools become embedded in audit, tax, and advisory workflows, understanding their capabilities and limitations is increasingly part of that competence
• Due care and professional skepticism: AI-generated outputs still require the same scrutiny CPAs apply to any other source of information. This session outlines where professional skepticism must remain non-negotiable, even as AI takes on more of the work
• Public interest and risk management: Firms that adopt AI without governance, oversight, or clear accountability expose themselves and their clients to real risk. This session offers a practical framework for adopting AI in a way that is both effective and defensible

Course Content:

In this course, you will gain knowledge about the following topics:

• What AI can realistically do today and where it is delivering real value in professional services 
• What’s changing quickly and why staying current matters 
• Key limitations, risks, and guardrails professionals should be aware of 
• Considerations for responsible and defensible AI use in regulated professions 
• An overview of Canadian grants and funding programs that can support AI initiatives

Who Will Benefit: 

Designed for partners, firm leaders, and senior managers in audit, tax, and financial reporting who are responsible for leading teams through AI adoption and need practical, human-centred approaches to managing resistance, building trust, and sustaining professional standards.