Ashley Francis, a CPA and self-described “A.I. whisperer,” led the conversation during the MACPA’s monthly town hall meeting on July 17 to talk about some practical uses of A.I. in the accounting and finance profession. If you missed the meeting, here are some of the key takeaways:

• One of the best ways to learn how to use A.I. is socially, with a colleague or as a member of a team. Working with others will increase your A.I. IQ significantly.

• Think of A.I. prompts as a game of “Mad Libs.” Your job is to fill in the blanks with details that will bring you closest to the answer you seek. Here are great ways to give an A.I. context: (a) “I am …” (b) “You are …” (c) “I need …” Tell the A.I. your identity, give it an identity, and tell it what you need. Ashley offered these examples of ways to frame those questions to get what you need.

• Don’t blindly trust that the information you receive from your A.I. is accurate. Verify everything.

And one more thought from Ashley about the future of our profession in an A.I. world: Your differentiator is no longer your technical knowledge. It’s your humanity — how well you relate and work with other people.

Learn more here
If you’d like to watch the July town hall meeting in its entirety, it will be replayed at 9 a.m. on Aug. 9. Get details and register here.

And if you’d like to learn more about A.I. from Ashley, listen to episode 214 of the MACPA’s “Future-Proof” podcast.