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Data and technology

CPA Canada puts AI ethics in the spotlight

In collaboration with the University of Waterloo, the recent Ethics Symposium brought accountants from across the country together to talk about the future of the AI, and the future of the profession

Regardless of where AI takes us in the future, CPAs will play a role in ensuring the best outcome. 

That was one of the key takeaways from the recent Ethics Symposium that CPA Canada sponsored in partnership with the University of Waterloo’s Centre of Accounting Ethics. The symposium brings together researchers, educators, practitioners, and students to share and discuss current issues, challenges, and practical applications of research in accounting ethics.  

On ethics and AI 

Leading the symposium was a discussion on the ethical and responsible use of AI, and the important role CPAs will play in this sphere. The panel, hosted by CPA Canada and moderated by Melissa Robertson, Principal of Research & Thought Leadership, was hosted by Cathy Cobey, partner and global responsible AI co-lead at EY, and Theo Stratopoulos, PwC professor, emerging technologies at the University of Waterloo.   

Read more 

Cobey is one of the authors of CPA Canada’s recent joint series with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) on AI, which is this week celebrating the launch of the newest paper: Closing the AI trust gap: The role of CPAs in strengthening AI governance and risk management.  

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In the discussion, Cobey highlighted the intersection between the ethical use of AI and the definitions of responsible AI. When asked to define how ethics and responsible AI work together, Cobey explained ethics as a pyramid for organizations: in the bottom layers of the pyramid, there are laws, regulations, and frameworks that organizations are required to, or voluntarily, comply with; but at the top of the pyramid are the values that organizations uphold – those ethical values that are needed to drive organizations to ‘do the right thing’.  

On what issues organizations are currently grappling with when it comes to implementing and managing their AI investments, Cobey suggested there are two big issues:  

  • The operational challenge of inventorying the data and systems being used in an organizations AI program, which can be much more complex and opaquer than with traditional information systems 
  • The strategic challenge of how to ensure that implementing good governance practices does not stifle innovation.  

According to Cobey, emphasizing some of the more recent high profile generative AI failures, such as the saga of Air Canada’s AI customer service chat bot, it’s important to take a holistic looks at the situation. 

“I find that these failures are often a failure of expectation, not of the technology,” Cobey said. In most circumstances, she continued, the failure of these systems is often a result of improper management of the risks and understanding of how generative AI technology works. Proper governance, understanding, and risk management of these systems can help organizations deploy AI systems in the right ways, and help rather than hinder innovation.   

What’s coming next? 

“It’s hard to keep up with the volume of research,” Stratopoulos said. “The research has been consistent with the state of adoption — it started with a lot of conceptual ideas, but the research has now advanced very quickly.” Looking forward to the near future, Stratopoulos sees management of AI systems advancing in a similar way to how cybersecurity has evolved, with the use of formal governance structures, risk management, and certification and assurance needs.

Cobey sees two possible futures — and two opportunities for CPAs to play a role. In the positive of the two futures, she sees the benefits of AI enhancing the way we work, with more upskilling of the workforce to adopt and work with AI in impactful ways, and with the right guardrails in place. In the less-optimistic future, she sees bad actors being more successful in using AI systems to the detriment of society, such as for disinformation campaigns and social engineering, where society is left working to find ways to solve the problems that have been created.  

In all scenarios, Cobey emphasized that there is a role for CPAs to play in the governance and control over AI — and its up to us all to ensure we see that positive future outlined above.  

Check out all the info, research and speakers at the Ethics Symposium here,