Jordan Accounting Conference Calls for AI Risk Management in Curricula and Auditor Training

Accounting and auditing specialists meeting in Amman closed a two day conference on Tuesday with a set of recommendations that would place artificial intelligence and AI risk management at the center of accounting education and continuing professional development. The International Professional and Scientific Conference of the Jordan Association of Certified Public Accountants, held under the theme The Future of Accounting and Auditing in the Arab World, drew about 500 participants, including heads and representatives of Arab and international professional organizations and federations, according to the organizers.

The gathering took place as the profession marks International Accounting Day, observed annually on November 10. Jordanian Internal Audit Association president Nora Kilani said the date has been marked since it was designated, and noted that the field has moved from paper ledgers to digital systems and the integration of AI. She said the core values of the profession remain intact despite those technological advances.

A Call for a National Advisory Council

Among the conference's headline recommendations was the creation of a national advisory council that would bring together government regulatory bodies, the certified public accountants association, academics and practitioners. The body would take part in drafting legislation related to the profession before it is enacted. Delegates also urged that regulatory impact assessments be carried out on proposed laws and amendments affecting the profession and the business environment, so that the compliance costs borne by firms can be measured in advance with input from academic, legal and impact measurement specialists.

The recommendations were split across sessions on digital transformation and cybersecurity, governance and compliance, and legislation. In the first, participants stressed that technology and AI are auxiliary tools that cannot replace professional judgment and human experience, and said an auditor relying on such tools must be able to explain how a conclusion was reached. They also called for cooperation with the National Cyber Security Center to draw on its technical support and advisory services in cyber governance, aiming to raise the readiness of audit firms and association members, and for a security by design principle in financial and accounting systems built on risk management covering operational, technical, security and governance aspects.

Governance and Human Oversight

In the governance and compliance session, the conference recommended policies to raise awareness among boards of directors, executive management, shareholders and stakeholders about both the risks and the opportunities of AI. It urged that AI systems be subject to integrated governance covering the technical framework, the quality of data and inputs, the explainability of decisions and the availability of human intervention. A comprehensive framework for AI use at the executive level, including policies and procedures, was also proposed.

Delegates recommended adopting AI as a tool rather than a decision maker, preserving the creativity of its user and leaving the final decision to humans in matters affecting people's lives and in what is classified as high risk, preceded by review and full ethical responsibility. The conference further recommended that boards and executive management be made more aware of AI risks, and that human staff remain the first line of defense in cybersecurity, with awareness raised among employees of firms and professional associations.

What to Watch Next

The association was urged to be empowered as the local professional body to issue application guidelines and interpretations for international standards suited to the local business environment. Participants also called for a review of transfer pricing documentation requirements for domestic intercompany transactions under the same tax framework. These recommendations are not binding, and it is not yet clear whether regulators will act on the advisory council proposal or on the curriculum changes. For accounting education, the conference signals that training programs in the region are likely to face pressure to add AI risk, data quality and cybersecurity content to their coursework in the coming enrollment cycles.