The AICPA and CIMA announced the launch of AI Skills Accelerator, an intensive multi-course program for accounting and finance professionals that provides a wide breadth of materials to build skills with artificial intelligence and better understand the mindset needed to do so successfully.
"Our profession is at an inflection point," said Tom Hood, executive vice president of business engagement and growth with the AICPA and CIMA, in a statement. "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 organizations responsibly through this moment of change."
The program, worth up to 42 CPE credits, features 22 on-demand courses that may be taken in any order or combination. It also includes three live instructor-led workshops allowing people to tailor a program reflective of an organization's strategic goals. The program operates under under three different learning tiers: srategic (for CFOs and senior leaders, focused on leadership and governance), transitional (for finance teams, focused on adoption and prompt engineering) and operational (for hands-on practitioners, which refers to CPAs, firm leaders and staff) focused on productivity and automation.
The strategic tier, for CFOs and other leaders, goes over ethics and critical thinking, human leadership in an AI-world, change management, building AI roadmaps and other broad concepts. The transitional tier for finance teams gets a little more narrow, going over topics such as developing AI policies, critical thinking and familiarizing oneself with core concepts on AI in accounting terms. Finally, the operational tier is for hands-on practitioners, emphasizing practical applications like visual storytelling, prompt engineering, Excel interactions and how AI has changed the modern reporting paradigm.
When asked about whether there was CPA-specific content as well, Barry Payne, regional vice president of the Americas for business growth and engagement, said the AICPA and CIMA "do have courses in the very specific audit and tax AI automation and innovation, and we can design those programs as part of this program."
Accountants can choose all three, a single tier, or an a la carte course selection. All tiers may be purchased as either separate programs for $300 each, or as a bundle for $699.
The program itself grew out of the organization's 2025 Future of Finance event, which held a two-day immersive event on AI, and was further shaped through pilot engagements with public accounting firms and corporate finance teams both in the U.S. and abroad, such as Top 10 firm CBIZ.
"As technology continues to reshape the finance profession, building a strong digital mindset across our workforce has become a strategic imperative," said Phillip Zaman, CBIZ's director of learning systems and operations, in a statement. "AI adoption alone is not enough; our people need the skills and judgment to apply it effectively. The AICPA has been a valuable partner with CBIZ in our upskilling journey over the past several years. Their AI Accelerator Program appears poised to equip teams to turn AI, data, and automation into meaningful value for their clients and their businesses."
