Smith Business magazine-summer24-paperturn - Flipbook - Page 26
Photo by Tony Richards
Jacqueline Cardello ’93
Getting in Early on
AI at Smith
Jacqueline Cardello ’93, CPA, president and
managing partner of GRF CPAs & Advisors,
says urging her firm to invest in the Smith
School’s AI Initiative for Capital Market
Research just made good business sense.
The Washington, D.C.-based accounting firm
is just starting to use AI, says Cardello. “We feel
AI is crucial to the future of accounting.”
She also says having access to Smith’s AI
expertise and research, as well as access to
students who understand how to use the
technology, is a boon for the full-service firm.
“We want to see research on AI, programs
on AI, and education about AI,” says Cardello.
“We want to see it continue and expand, and we
want more students attracted to the profession.”
There is a nationwide shortage of accountants
as workers retire and the number of accounting
graduates drops. Cardello hopes AI changes
that and that more students find the same
passion for the profession that she has.
“People are afraid that there won’t be
accounting jobs, but I think AI is a draw for
people interested in the technology and
analytics side of accounting.”
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summer 2024
Associate professor Sean Cao, director of
the initiative, wrote a textbook on how
to use AI in accounting and 昀椀nance, and
because it’s so important, he’s making
it available for free. The initiative is
funded by accounting 昀椀rm GRF CPAs
& Advisors, thanks to a push from
Jacqueline Cardello ’93, 昀椀rm president
and managing director.
When Cao proposed the AI initiative,
Cardello says her 昀椀rm jumped at the
opportunity to learn more about AI and
support accounting students learning
about it. “AI is the future and it’s still
new to us, but it’s not going away.”
“Students, faculty, alumni and industry
practitioners—we’re all working together
to make good things happen for the
whole community on AI,” says Cao.
AI IN THE CLASSROOM
Part of Cao’s work includes designing
a new master’s-level AI literacy course,
which he’ll teach in the fall. He also
plans to adapt the material for a future
undergraduate course.
In spring 2024, Smith launched an
AI specialization for full-time MBAs.
It includes a series of courses that cover
the foundations of AI, governance
and systems design. Students learn to
critically dissect AI’s capabilities, then
use that understanding to explore
business applications, ethics and
responsible use of the technology.
Elena Maican, MBA ’24, enrolled in
the specialization as a Flex MBA student
to keep up with industry trends and
rapidly evolving AI technology, which
she’s already using as a knowledge
management analyst at the World Bank.
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