Professional services firms are at the forefront of AI innovation – not just because they want to, but because they have to in order to remain leaders in their field.
That means we can learn a lot from how these firms are using emerging technologies like AI to understand where the biggest impact can be found.
Here, we’re exploring how the biggest professional services firms are leveraging AI both when upskilling internally and supporting their clients’ goals.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
AI Training
PwC research revealed that over 73% of employers in key industries (construction, agriculture, transport, logistics, warehousing) report skills shortages in AI-related areas.
To tackle this challenge, PwC partnered with Innovate UK to launch a first-of-its-kind AI Skills Hub, which aims to “unify the fragmented AI learning and employment landscape” and fill the gap between employers’ demand and currently available skills.
Through the AI Skills Hub, PwC and Innovate UK will increase employer uptake of curated, sector-specific training on AI, accelerating clients’ ability to maximize AI usage and improve both efficiency and productivity.
PwC isn’t just focusing on AI training externally, however. In April 2023, it announced that it would invest $1 billion over three years into scaling and upskilling its own workforce’s AI capabilities.
This initiative, called “My AI” served to increase the use of AI among PwC employees through the development of engaging learning pathways and opportunities for experimentation, leading to “prompting parties” that allowed employees to practice their AI usage together, in a safe and collaborative environment.
In an interview, PwC’s Chief Learning Officer Leah Houde said: “We needed all our people, not just the technologists, but all of our people to be savvy, responsible users of AI. So, we very quickly got started on a learning strategy for AI”.
PwC employees are reporting 20-30% efficiency gains as a result of this initiative, a big win for hands-on learning.
It’s fascinating to see how an industry leader like PwC is approaching the AI wave – and these initiatives showcase a willingness to adapt, learn, and stay ahead of the curve.
Virtual Reality & Emerging Technologies
In addition to AI, PwC has invested a lot of attention into other emerging technologies, including virtual reality.
Its comprehensive study on the effectiveness of VR training showed that VR users learn four times faster than peers in traditional classrooms, among other impressive numbers. PwC also offers clients a host of immersive tech offerings, helping clients leverage VR training to drive better results.
Deloitte
AI Training
As one of the leading professional services firms, Deloitte is leveraging its expertise to drive AI training forward and make it more accessible to businesses who want to be AI-ready.
The Deloitte AI Academy, part of the Deloitte Technology Academy, sits at the forefront of this mission. The Academy is designed to build the next generation of AI leaders, teaching aspiring up-and-comers essential AI skills and knowledge, through a hands-on experiential curriculum of more than 15 offerings.
While Deloitte is using the AI Academy to bring lessons on technical AI skills and business know-how to clients and future leaders, it’s also partnering with AI giants to upskill thousands of its own employees.
In 2025, Deloitte announced that it had begun collaborating with Antrophic to launch a Generative AI and advanced AI applications certification program, with the aim of certifying 15,000 Deloitte practitioners globally and equipping them with state-of-the-art GenAI knowledge and methodologies.
This significant investment highlights Deloitte’s commitment to ensuring its teams are proficient and capable of driving results using AI.
Virtual Reality & Emerging Technologies
Deloitte has also invested heavily into emerging technologies like virtual reality, and the most significant outcome of that is its impressive Unlimited Reality Ambition Lab, a half-day experience to help clients not only understand the metaverse but create real strategies that enable their organisations to address real business problems and test the value.
Offering support for immersive talent management, Deloitte’s VR initiatives promise to help clients increase employee performance through experiential learning and cost-effective technical training.
KPMG
AI Training
Like other industry leaders, KPMG is striving to meet modern demands and integrate AI expertise across its teams. To achieve this, the firm’s UK branch partnered with Multiverse to launch a major AI training program in order to rapidly build digital literacy and AI expertise across the business, driving improved client outcomes and increased AI tool adoption.
Upon completion of this program, which teaches learners how to use AI strategically and implement AI transformation roadmaps for clients, KPMG UK’s employees will receive a formal AI qualification. Lisa Fernihough, Head of Advisory at KPMG UK said the firm-wide approach to AI training is significant to shaping how the firm will deliver its services to clients in future.
Externally, KPMG is already preparing the future generation of AI-native leaders through its AI Learning program.
This program equips leaders with the confidence to harness AI’s full value in their organizations, moving beyond experimentation to uplift leaders’ AI capabilities and prepare them to lead AI transformations at scale within their businesses.
In an exciting development, KPMG Australia was the first firm globally to receive ISO 42001 certification for AI Management Systems by the British Standards Institution, showing its commitment to being a pioneering visionary in the space.
Virtual Reality & Emerging Technologies
KPMG’s leap into emerging tech like virtual reality started with the firm’s US and Canada branches, with the launch of a Metaverse collaboration hub. This VR initiative offers a private place where employees, partners, and clients can conduct virtual team meetings, training sessions, job interviews, and more in the metaverse – while also demonstrating KPMG’s services and capabilities.
Accenture
AI Training
As part of its commitment to driving business excellence, Accenture experts launched an on-demand Generative AI Scholars Program in partnership with Stanford Online. This bespoke program is designed to instill tech leaders with the knowledge and skills to harness the full potential of GenAI in their organizations.
Featuring more than 40 hours of best-in-class content from Stanford and Accenture experts, the Scholars Program offers learners a deep new understanding of generative AI and will help upskill the next generation of AI leaders, ensuring they have a strong foundation as we enter a global AI transformation.
Kishore Durg, Accenture LearnVantage Global Lead said: ““This dynamic learning program is poised to make a mark on the upskilling landscape, allowing us to scale our ability to reach thousands more learners and prepare C-suite leaders to successfully navigate and structure their businesses for the many opportunities that technological change is bringing”.
Accenture, like others, is also committed to upskilling its own workforce. In 2025, the firm announced that it was rolling out one of the world’s largest corporate AI training programs, reskilling 700,000 employees in agentic AI.
With clients demanding expertise in autonomous AI, and the firm generating billions in revenue from AI consulting, this training was the natural next step to help Accenture support its employees’ development and drive client success.
Virtual Reality & Emerging Technologies
Accenture’s drive to maximize emerging technologies like virtual reality is best seen through its incredible onboarding efforts. Since 2020, Accenture has used VR to onboard new hires in an immersive and powerful way.
This VR onboarding experience includes a virtual campus, One Accenture Park, features everything a new hire needs as well as virtual water cooler spaces for employees to meet up. Since rolling out VR onboarding, Accenture has expanded the offering to include hosted digital events, virtual whiteboards and multi-tasking opportunities.
Ernst & Young (EY)
AI Training
Dedicated to supporting the next generation of the workforce, EY partnered with Microsoft to create the AI Skills Passport, a program built to assist students aged 16+ in learning about, working with, and applying the latest AI technologies, so that they’re prepared to enter the workforce and start using AI in their careers of choice.
Completing the 10-hour course will provide learners with extensive knowledge on AI applications, ethical considerations, AI use cases across industries, and AI employability – and with an EY and Microsoft certificate at the end.
This work in supporting young people as they learn to navigate AI-powered careers is important, with Monesh Dange, Partner and Leader, Alliances and Ecosystems, at EY India, saying, “In an era where AI is revolutionising work and redefining career paths, the launch of the AI Skills Passport is a panacea for India’s growing demand for skilled AI talent”.
Virtual Reality & Emerging Technologies
EY teams are harnessing the power of virtual reality and the metaverse to create long-term business value and positive impact. EY offers clients access to deep metaverse knowledge, allowing them to build immersive strategies, technology roadmaps, and transform businesses into futuristic hubs that leverage the latest technology.
Bring AI-Powered VR Training To Your Organization
If you want to take the next step and implement AI-Powered VR training that’s trusted by PwC to your organization, get in touch and find out how VirtualSpeech’s award-winning soft skills training can support your teams.
