Do Accounting Firm Visits Alleviate Accounting Students' AI-Related Career Anxiety and Confusion?

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the accounting industry makes the accounting profession more attractive by enhancing the work-life balance of accountants through efficient use of time. But, the threat of AI to employment also leads to a concern of accounting job insecurity and future uncertainty. This research adopts the practice-led research methodology (PLR) in a higher educational setting, to examine accounting students’ perception of AI-driven impacts, and their career anxiety and confusion. 20 students are asked to discuss the impacts of AI on their career aspirations after graduation: half of them had visited several accounting firms in China and engaged with the partners/senior managers, but the other half had not. Evidently, those who participated in this research through accounting firm visits have expressed greater clarity in terms of the roles of AI in the accounting industry, and experienced a reduction in perceived accounting job insecurity. This alleviates their AI-related anxiety and confusion, and enhances their career aspirations towards accounting.