Dates and location
Pricing
Hours
Dates and location
Pricing
Hours
Description
This newly developed course uses the latest AI research applications and provides a concise overview of how professionals can design and deploy custom AI chatbots using modern large language models and conversational AI platforms. Participants will learn how to transform static documents into interactive “thinking environments,” enabling users to analyze financial data, simulate expert reasoning, and accelerate decision-making. This course explains how modern chatbots have evolved beyond simple scripted responders into context-aware AI assistants capable of analyzing documents, maintaining conversational context, and supporting professional workflows.
Through practical demonstrations and real-world examples, learners will explore how to build specialized AI assistants using document grounding, persona-driven instructions, and contextual knowledge hubs. This course also introduces emerging capabilities such as document-grounded voice chat and conversational AI agents that interact with users through speech. Emphasis is placed on governance, verification, and responsible use, ensuring that AI accelerates research, analysis, and collaboration while maintaining professional judgment and oversight.
Topics Covered:
- Introduction to modern AI chatbots and conversational AI.
- Document-grounded chat and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG).
- Persona-grounded AI assistants and expert role prompting.
- Building contextual knowledge hubs and persistent AI workspaces.
- Comparing leading AI platforms (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity).
- Document-grounded voice chat and conversational voice agents.
- Governance, verification, and responsible AI use in professional work.
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Key Takeaways
Upon completion of this course, learners will be able to:
- Explain how modern AI chatbots function and how they differ from traditional scripted bots.
- Analyze how document-grounded AI systems improve accuracy and reduce hallucinations.
- Design persona-based prompts to simulate specialized professional expertise.
- Construct contextual AI knowledge hubs for ongoing projects and research.
- Evaluate the strengths of different AI platforms for professional workflows.
- Apply AI tools to accelerate research, document analysis, and strategic thinking.
- Assess governance considerations and implement verification protocols when using AI.
Who Will Benefit
This course is designed for accountants and professionals who want to build custom AI assistants that enhance their research, analysis, and decision-making skills.
Prerequisite(s)
- No programming experience is required, but a basic familiarity with generative AI tools such as ChatGPT or other conversational AI systems will be helpful.
- Free tier access is sufficient to complete this course. Paid tier access is optional but recommended for learners who want hands-on access to the enterprise and advanced features demonstrated in the course.
How to Access the Course
New mobile learning! Download Blackboard Learn from your app store (iOS or Android). Learn more.
To access the course on your computer please visit our BlackBoard site, and log-in using the same login and password used for the Registration Portal.
Please allow up to 15 minutes after registration for the course to appear on your BlackBoard page.
Registration, cancellation, withdrawal and all other CPA Ontario PD policies can be found here.
Speaker(s)
Garrett Wasny, MA, CMC, CITP/FITP, is an award-winning Internet analyst, professional development technologist and former Price Waterhouse management consultant. He's authored three books, published 100+ articles and delivered more than 1,000 seminars and webinars on Internet search to accounting organizations worldwide. Full disclosure: Garrett is an independent practitioner who provides objective information and is not affiliated with any vendor.