Fundamentals of GenAI
ICAEW
Last updated September 6, 2026
Fundamentals of GenAI is the entry point to ICAEW’s GenAI Accelerator Program, a set of generative AI courses the institute developed with Microsoft for finance and accounting work. It bundles the program introduction with the fundamentals course itself. The introduction covers AI’s role in finance and accounting, which tools the program uses and how to get set up on them. The fundamentals course explains how large language models such as ChatGPT handle financial language and tasks, how to write prompts that return better answers, how ChatGPT, Copilot, Perplexity and Claude differ in accounting contexts, and how ICAEW’s own ethical and regulatory guidance applies. It is a paid course.
Part 1 of 7 in ICAEW's GenAI Accelerator Program
What you'll learn
- How large language models such as ChatGPT process financial language and tasks
- Writing prompts that return more useful answers on accounting work
- How ChatGPT, Copilot, Perplexity and Claude differ in an accounting context
- A five-step framework for adopting generative AI in a finance function
- Applying ICAEW’s ethical and regulatory guidance to real use cases
- Using generative AI to draw insight from financial data
Frequently asked questions about Fundamentals of GenAI
Who is Fundamentals of GenAI for?
ICAEW members and other finance and accounting professionals beginning the institute’s generative AI program; the guidance referenced is ICAEW’s own, though the tools and prompting techniques are not country-specific.
Is Fundamentals of GenAI free?
No — Fundamentals of GenAI is a paid course.
Does Fundamentals of GenAI offer a certificate?
Yes. ICAEW certificate of completion, awarded for finishing the course, alongside digital badges earned as you progress through the GenAI Accelerator Program.
Why we suggest this course
For chartered accountants and finance staff who want generative AI taught inside their own workflows rather than in the abstract. As the program’s foundation it is the one to take first, and it does the two things that make the applied courses work later: prompting practiced on financial tasks, and a five-step framework for deciding where adoption is actually worth it. The ethics material is the institute’s own guidance rather than a generic overview.