How EY is training employees to use AI in their jobs

In the three years since it arrived on the scene, generative AI, with its uncanny ability to mimic human communication, has steadily taken on some of the work normally done by people. Some people who make their living in language- and research-intensive roles are worried about losing their jobs.

Such fears have only been amplified by the recent rise of agentic AI, a more advanced type of AI capable of making decisions and acting autonomously. These AI systems have the potential to take over more tasks and eliminate more jobs. Recent reports suggest that's starting to happen.

To assuage these concerns, businesses often promise only to use AI in ways that complement, rather than take over, creative activities. They also say they'll train employees in how to use AI as a helper and upskill them for new roles if their old jobs are eliminated by automation. The hope is that AI will free people to do more of what they do best.

EY is in the middle of just such a transformation. Formerly known as Ernst & Young, it's one of the Big Four accounting firms, along with Deloitte, KPMG and PwC. All four firms have IT consulting wings that help implement emerging technologies internally and then share what they learn with clients.

In this episode of Enterprise Apps Unpacked, Joe Depa, who leads EY's AI, data and emerging technology initiatives as global chief innovation officer, talks about the company's ongoing AI-driven realignment, including these key components:

• How EY is training its 400,000 employees to use AI.
• Which parts of the business are being automated.
• How EY employees are reacting to all the changes.

Encouragement is the key

Joe Depa

Depa said EY tailors its AI training for different roles and personas. It starts with training meant to provide awareness of what AI is and how to use it. Some training then drills down into AI skills for particular jobs. Other curricula focus on the consulting role and software engineering and delivery.

The AI training isn't mandatory for all employees, but some are required to take training on privacy, security and risk. "Beyond that," Depa said, "encouragement is the key, and we believe that mandating is not going to drive the right behavior. What we've said is, 'We highly encourage you to take this training, and if you don't, you're likely going to fall behind in your job compared to some of your peers.'"

As a result, 89% of EY employees have taken the optional course on fundamentals. Also not mandated: using EY's internal generative AI tool, EY.ai EYQ, which nevertheless has an 81% adoption rate.

Other topics discussed in the podcast include the following:

• The work that went into developing courses and measuring their effectiveness.
• Lessons EY learned from its own AI deployment that it then shared with clients.
• The No. 1 thing employees struggle with in AI training.

David Essex is an industry editor who covers enterprise applications, emerging technology and market trends, and creates in-depth content for several TechTarget websites.