Global professional services firm EY has launched a new AI agent system for its audit division, aiming for 100% of audit activities to be supported by artificial intelligence within four years. Marc Jeschonneck, EY's Global Assurance Transformation Leader, confirmed the rollout of a multi-agent framework within the EY Canvas platform to its 130,000 auditors worldwide. While designed to boost efficiency, the technology may initially complicate training for the firm's most junior employees.
Jeschonneck told Business Insider that while assurance teams will find their work becomes "much easier," reviewing the outputs from new reconciliation agents will require significant experience. "For our youngest people, that means that their entry point here is potentially not that much easier right away," he stated. This creates a paradox for an industry where foundational skills are traditionally built through repetitive task work, which AI is now automating.
New Training Paradigm for the AI Era
In response, EY is overhauling its training methodology for new hires. Instead of learning through repetition across multiple client engagements, entry-level staff will now train using realistic audit scenarios within the EY Canvas platform. This adaptive learning approach will be supported by short instructional videos and integrated tools. Jeschonneck framed this shift as ultimately positive, arguing that skilled graduates do not want to perform administrative tasks thousands of times to grasp core concepts.
The initial AI agent launch includes a core assistant and three specialised agents for document search, summarisation, and administrative automation, built around roughly 20 core capabilities. Two further agents are planned: one to review auditors' work papers and suggest improvements, and another dedicated to reconciliation documentation. Jeschonneck emphasised this integrated, "one-stop shop" system is more seamless than standalone tools like Copilot, which require manual file handling.
Industry-Wide AI Integration and Workforce Impact
EY's move reflects a broader trend of massive AI investment within the Big Four accounting and consulting firms, who are under pressure to demonstrate enterprise-scale AI value to clients. This month, KPMG revealed a pilot using AI for tax process automation. However, roles in business, finance, and consulting are frequently cited as highly exposed to AI disruption.
Hiring for some positions, like management consultants, has declined, and EY's rival PwC has cut its US entry-level recruitment by a third over the next three years. When asked about hiring plans, Jeschonneck said EY does not intend to reduce recruitment. He acknowledged that fewer people may be needed for traditional financial statement audits but stated the firm's goal is to maintain headcount, reallocating capacity to manage new technology and increasingly complex client and regulatory demands.
"Nobody should be worried about an immediate career joining the accounting world," Jeschonneck concluded. "We'll need the people with the institutional knowledge, of more than a hundred years being in accounting, making the technology relevant."