Safe AI Implementation for Firms

Capture the upside of AI without the regulatory, ethical, and reputational downside.

AI adoption is accelerating across professional services firms – and so is the list of incidents, breaches, and embarrassing missteps that come with rushed deployments. Confidential client data leaking into public chatbots, hallucinated tax advice making it into client letters, and shadow AI usage outside any governance framework are now routine concerns for partners, risk officers, and IT leaders. Doing AI well in 2026 means doing it safely.

This session provides a structured framework for implementing AI across an accounting, legal, or advisory firm in a way that is auditable, compliant, and aligned with professional standards. Nick Beaugeard walks through the controls, policies, technology choices, and change management practices that distinguish firms getting AI right from those creating tomorrow’s case studies in what not to do. Real-world examples from Australian firms – both successes and cautionary tales – are used throughout.

What You’ll Learn:

• The current Australian regulatory and professional standards landscape for AI in firms

• How to build an AI Acceptable Use Policy that staff will actually follow

• Choosing enterprise-grade vs consumer AI tools – the data, privacy, and IP implications

• Designing human-in-the-loop controls for high-risk AI outputs

• Vendor due diligence, data residency, and contractual safeguards

• Eliminating shadow AI and bringing rogue usage into a governed framework

This is an intermediate, practical webinar suited to firm leaders, risk and compliance professionals, and technology decision-makers. Some general familiarity with AI tools is helpful but not essential.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

1. Understand the key risks of AI adoption in professional services – data leakage, hallucination, bias, IP exposure, and professional liability

2. Identify the relevant Australian regulatory, ethical, and professional standards considerations including Privacy Act, APP obligations, and professional body guidance and be able to apply the eight Australian AI Ethics Principles to firm decisions on AI tooling and use cases

3. Design an AI governance framework appropriate to firm size, including policies, roles, and review cadence

4. Evaluate AI vendors against a structured due diligence checklist covering data handling, model training, security certifications, and contractual protections

5. Recognise the difference between low-risk, medium-risk and high-risk AI use cases and apply proportionate controls to each

6. Develop a staff training and change management plan that builds an AI-literate, risk-aware culture across the firm

7. Create a 12-month roadmap to safely scale AI adoption while maintaining client trust and professional integrity

Suited to:

This session is designed for leaders responsible for the safe adoption of AI within their firm. It is suited to firms of all sizes, from boutique practices through to multi-office mid-tier and large firms, across accounting, legal, and broader professional services.

• Managing Partners & Firm Owners

• Risk, Compliance & Quality Partners

• Practice Managers & Chief Operating Officers

• Heads of Technology, IT Managers & CIOs

• Privacy Officers & Information Security Leads

• Innovation & AI Champions inside firms

• Senior Accountants, Auditors and Lawyers being asked to lead AI pilots

Some prior exposure to AI tools (ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, or similar) is beneficial. No technical or coding background is required.

This On Demand recording Includes: 

• Recording of the Live Webinar, which can be viewed multiple times, for as long as required 
• Presenters contact details for follow up questions 
• CPD Quiz
• CPD Certificate 
• CPD Report – Logged automatically 
• PowerPoint Presentation
• Verbatim Transcript, with Searchability
• Supporting Documentation