Professor Edward Harcourt, Director of the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford, attended ICAEW’s Global Ethics Day 2026 on 23 October at the Chartered Accountants’ Hall in London.
Held under the theme ‘Re-Centering Ethics’, the event brought together experts and professionals to explore the role of ethics in a rapidly changing world. It was a valuable opportunity to see the growing interest in AI ethics within the accounting profession and the important connections between academic research and professional practice.
During his contribution, Professor Harcourt highlighted the challenges of understanding and overseeing AI systems, citing a recent survey of 118 financial institutions in which 46% reported that they did not fully understand the AI products they had invested in. He emphasised the importance of developing an AI assurance profession, alongside maintaining human oversight and embedding established ethical standards in professional practice.
His insights were subsequently featured in ICAEW’s newsletter, reflecting the relevance of these questions to the accounting profession and the wider debate on responsible AI adoption.
Ahead of the event, Professor Harcourt also contributed to ICAEW’s article, ‘Three major questions about AI and ethics’, exploring some of the ethical challenges posed by the increasing use of AI.