When Hyejun Park graduated and joined Grant Thornton Australia’s Audit & Assurance team, she was prepared for many new learning opportunities and guidance from senior personnel. What surprised her was how quickly she would be able to reciprocate with some salient advice on AI technology.
Her experience mirrors findings from Microsoft’s recent Ctrl + Career research where 83 per cent of the Gen Z workers surveyed reported that senior leaders asked for their input on AI-related ideas.
“I wanted to be tech-savvy and understand how AI was going to change the industry,” says Park. “I didn’t realise it could play such a big role in audit, but I was keen to explore and see how it worked in practice. That made me a trusted source of information for others.”
Like many of her peers, Park often starts her workday using Copilot in Microsoft 365, especially during reporting season. She uses it for simple tasks such as proofing emails, summarising chats, collating meeting notes into key points and flagging action items in order to gain time for other, more complex tasks. She has also been looking at other ways to implement AI.
Adopting a culture of two-way learning
Early in her employment, Park used an AI review tool to check financial statements while a manager watched on. When the tool flagged inconsistencies across pages and sped up the review process, the method quickly became part of the team’s toolkit.
“My manager was keen to understand more about how I wanted to use AI,” Park says. “So, I showed him how it can flag possible issues, and his reaction was, ‘Keep using that’. Now it’s part of how we work together.”
That exchange set the tone for using AI in Park’s team in the following months. Junior team members try AI tools and techniques first, then share what they have learnt with senior colleagues who then provide their own judgements that make the organisation’s audit and assurance work so reliable.
“We try things at the associate level and then present them, including how we used them, the purpose and the downsides. Then we work on a formal process together with the senior members of our team,” Park says.
Grant Thornton runs formal training sessions for graduates, managers and partners, and includes a prompt in-audit workflow asking staff to note if AI was used. The firm supports this process of two-way learning, with juniors showing their capacity to ‘reverse mentor’ senior employees in new technology.
Recent research data shows that this reverse mentorship often creates significant and positive change, with 53 per cent of surveyed Gen Z workers saying that their input or advice gave senior leaders the confidence to use AI themselves. For Park, the willingness to explore this new frontier was unexpected and welcomed.
“This firm is really open to using AI and giving us training, ensuring we always remain sceptical of the output. That culture makes a big difference,” she says.
Discovering new uses
Park now uses Copilot to refine the tone of client emails and working papers, helping her to communicate more clearly and confidently. She turns to AI for heavy reading, and for synthesising long, detailed reports into concise summaries of what an auditor should consider. She also finds AI helpful at analysing meeting transcripts and capturing decisions and action items so nothing is lost.
Importantly, Park always provides quality assurance for any AI content, demonstrating the continued need for human input as this new technology is further integrated into the workplace. “I never rely 100 per cent on AI. I always check my work and confirm the details according to our professional standards, discussing any issues with my manager,” she says.
Nicole Bradley, National Managing Partner – Private Business Tax & Advisory at Grant Thornton Australia, is excited by the level of innovation she’s seeing from the graduate cohort.
“Graduates are really innovating when it comes to AI – something that will continue to be transformative in our industry. With up to four generations now sharing the workplace, it’s more important than ever that we all stay curious and open to learning – especially about how we can work smarter and innovate together,” she says.
“What’s even more interesting is that today’s graduates aren’t just using AI at work – as digital natives, it’s considered in everything they do. They’re entering the workforce with a strong foundation, and we have a lot to learn from their fresh perspective. By embracing new ways of working, we can all benefit from the momentum they’re bringing, while upholding the highest quality of client delivery.”
Gaining visibility with AI skills
Park’s enthusiasm for AI has allowed her to contribute to Grant Thornton in other valuable ways. At a Copilot hackathon organised by the firm earlier this year, she worked with colleagues to design agents to improve processes and increase efficiencies.
It is timely work, as 61 per cent of Gen Z respondents in our recently commissioned research say they have built or customised an AI agent, chatbot or workflow to automate part of their job.
“We have an agent to help streamline searches for auditing and accounting standards, as well as our own audit methodology. This has allowed for accelerated efficiency. Instead of spending time searching for the right framework – it’s there with the help of the AI agent,” she says. “Nothing is 100 per cent perfect, however, but that’s where our professional scepticism comes in.”
Park was invited to speak on a graduate panel about her day-to-day use of AI. Afterwards, her manager encouraged her to maintain the momentum and help incoming colleagues build confidence with the tools. It’s moments such as these that reinforce her view that embracing AI skill development is valuable for graduates.
“The hackathon was really successful and an example of taking proactive and innovative steps to encourage learning across all levels of the team,” says Bradley. “Nationally, the auditors gathered to innovate – all at the same time and in the same virtual room – which is a rare opportunity. It resulted in some great ideas, some of which we’re implementing now.”
Beyond an improved workplace profile, AI has also helped Park find a more ideal work–life balance. Grant Thornton offers a 9-day fortnight, giving staff a regular day to recharge, and the time Park saves with AI support helps make that cadence sustainable.
“I love going to the beach – that’s why I moved to Sydney,” she says. “And I love coffee, so I’ll find a café that closes at two or three. You can’t normally enjoy that on a workday, and it helps me de-stress.”