PwC is shifting junior accountants into manager roles within three years by using AI to handle routine audit tasks.
The Big Four firm’s new hires won’t just execute audits. They’ll supervise AI doing data gathering and processing. Jenn Kosar, PwC’s AI assurance leader, told Business Insider these entry-level workers will quickly act like experienced managers.
“People are going to walk in the door almost instantaneously becoming reviewers and supervisors,” Kosar said.
“Three years from now, we will feel like the first years are functioning more like fourth years,” she added.
“We will look back and say, ‘Okay, these young people feel more like the managers of my day.'”
PwC is revamping training to focus less on routine work and more on audit fundamentals, critical thinking, negotiation, and professional skepticism. These soft skills, once reserved for later, are now front-loaded.
Kosar’s role as head of AI assurance was created in July 2024. PwC launched its “assurance for AI” product in June to help clients use AI responsibly. The rapid AI shift is forcing PwC and the wider industry to rethink pricing and client relationships.
“It’s a shift in how we serve clients as opposed to accelerating progression of capabilities,” Kosar said.
Despite concerns AI might kill jobs or critical thinking, Kosar believes it will create faster, better-informed professionals focused on higher-value insights.
