Global trust in chartered accountants rises in AI world
Global trust in chartered accountants rises in AI world
As Chartered Accountants Worldwide publishes the latest Trust Survey results, ICAEW is working to ensure accountants can continue to deliver what stakeholders need – trustworthiness in data and ethical decision-making.
Chartered accountants continue to buck the trend as one of the most trustworthy professions, as the world wrestles with disinformation, AI adoption and the demand for ethical leadership, according to data published today (4 September).
Accountants rank third globally for trust, just behind doctors and engineers, according to the latest Trust Survey by Edelman DXI for Chartered Accountants Worldwide (CAW).
Three in four businesses now rely on chartered accountants to ensure data integrity: a +6-point rise since 2023, the Edelman DXI study revealed. Their role is seen as fundamental not only to financial stewardship and as guardians of credible data, but to “safeguarding ethical decision-making in an age of algorithmic risk”.
Alan Vallance, ICAEW Chief Executive, said: “These results are highly encouraging, both because they show that chartered accountants continue to be seen as trusted advisors to business, and also because they demonstrate that the accountancy profession is increasingly identified as an authoritative voice on AI and digital transformation.
“The rigorous training undertaken by our members, together with the robust decision-making frameworks set out in our Code of Ethics, makes them natural allies of business.”
It is increasingly clear that a sustainable economy and future will only thrive if built on a foundation of trust and ethics. And yet economic uncertainty, digital disruption, and eroding institutional confidence continues to challenge business leaders.
“Trust is becoming more fragile across institutions, but this data confirms that chartered accountants continue to buck the trend,” said Ainslie van Onselen, CAW Chair. “In a climate dominated by AI, disinformation, and societal pressure for accountability, our profession is increasingly seen not just as technically skilled, but as essential guardians of trustworthy data and ethical leadership.”
ICAEW Director of Trust & Ethics Laura Hough said she was reassured with the Edelman findings. “The Next Generation ACA qualification will ensure our members are armed with the essential tools for the digital era, especially focusing on generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), ethics and sustainability reporting and assurance,” she said.
Giving ACAs the tools for digital era
Alongside updating the ACA qualification to meet the challenges of a new digital workplace, ICAEW has developed a broad range of resources to help qualified members. In August, ICAEW launched its GenAI Accelerator e-learning programme which will deliver eight courses in bitesize modules, focusing on a critical aspect of GenAI in finance over the coming year. The first course - the fundamentals of GenAI - is freely available for ICAEW members.
Vallance said: ““As a proud member of Chartered Accountants Worldwide, ICAEW continues to support the profession globally with essential skills as it adapts to modern challenges, most recently through upgrades to our flagship ACA qualification, which include a greater focus on ethics, sustainability and AI. There is also ongoing expansion to our AI offerings, with a range of guidance and innovative training materials available on our website.”
The GenAI Accelerator programme builds on the support offered by the institute’s Guide to Generative AI, alongside a variety of articles and webinars on GenAI, which can all be accessed via: icaew.com/ai. The resources offer real-world insight into the applications and limitations of GenAI.
To better identify the main ethical risks in work arising from the use of AI, members can access the ICAEW Ethics and AI roundtable report. The results stem from a series of events hosted by ICAEW’s Trust and Ethics Team looking to shape guidance for the accountancy profession on the ethical use of AI.
This report helped to shape the “AI ethics for accountants” module, which was added to ICAEW Ethics CPD Course this year. The new e-learning module, not only explains recent updates to the Code of Ethics, but offers support on ensuring risks are mitigated. The updated ICAEW Code of Ethics came into force on 1 July.
Assurance will play a key role in managing AI risks and ICAEW this year dedicated an entire conference to discussing this aspect of accountancy moving forward. It covered what exactly is AI assurance and discussed overcoming the challenges of assuring large-scale, AI foundation models.
Support coming on AI and tax
ICAEW is working with its PCRT (professional conduct in relation to taxation) partners to provide new guidance on AI ethics for tax professionals later in the autumn.
Trust survey - a call to action
Chartered accountants have the chance to step forward and fill a critical leadership gap, not only in technical finance, but in guiding organisations through complex ethical, digital, and societal transitions.
“This is not just a moment of recognition, it’s a call to action,” said CAW’s van Onselen. “Chartered accountants must now step forward not only as advisors, but as leaders in a rapidly evolving landscape.”
This chimes well with ICAEW’s Annual Conference in October, which is themed, "Thriving in transformation" and focuses on AI, leadership, and sustainability. The conference will offer members real-life first hand experiences of deploying AI tools. The ‘Driving AI adoption with integrity’ panel session will look at how to build AI systems that follow legal and ethical standards and consider the role of professional judgment in using AI.
Meanwhile, another session will offer ‘lessons from early adopters’ with experts sharing their experiences of integrating AI, exploring the practical challenges, key successes, and measurable impacts of AI on efficiency, compliance, and client services.
ICAEW will also be hosting an event on 24 October to mark Global Ethics Day 2025, exploring what it means to lead with integrity in a rapidly evolving professional landscape.
“At a time when truth is contested and data is vulnerable, the role of chartered accountants as data guardians has never been more vital,” Edelman DXI said. “Our research shows [chartered accountants] are not only trusted, but they are also increasingly indispensable.”
Edelman DXI’s Trust Survey 2025, which explored public and business trust in the accountancy profession during a period marked by global disruption and transformation, contained a sample size of 1,725 finance decision-makers (Director level and above) in businesses across 10 markets.
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