The Johnson Investment Institute hosted the inaugural AI Symposium in Finance and Accounting on May 8 at Lindner Hall, bringing together industry leaders from national firms, academics from leading universities, and emerging finance and accounting talent.
The event was organized in coordination with Lindner’s accounting department. It featured academic and practitioner presentations, a panel discussion, and a keynote address focused on how artificial intelligence is transforming investment management, financial marketing, and accounting. The symposium examined real-world outcomes as well as new opportunities that are emerging across the industry.
“We are fortunate to have experts from academia and industry to answer these AI questions for us,” said Mehmet Sağlam, PhD, Johnson Investment Institute academic director. “The symposium embodies the mission of the Johnson Investment Institute. We want to connect academics and industry, and to connect theory and practice.”
Lori Beer, Global Chief Information Officer at JPMorgan Chase, delivered the keynote address. As leader of AI strategy at JPMorgan Chase worldwide, Beer discussed how artificial intelligence is reshaping financial services at an enterprise scale. She shared insights on topics including organizational AI opportunities as well as enterprise use cases such as investment banking applications and risk modeling tools. “We are seeing a huge wave of productivity and potential. There is an insatiable demand for software,” she said.
Beer also outlined five essential skills for new graduates: AI fluency, judgment, domain depth, data fluency, and risk discernment. “We are expecting our new grads to have AI fluency,” Beer said. “It’s a basic skill for everyone to have.”
A luncheon panel was held at Nippert Stadium’s West Pavilion where Ryan Kean (Total Quality Logistics), Rob Moeddel (Fifth Third Bank), Doug Torline (PwC), joined Executive Accounting Adjunct Professor Joe Waller for a discussion about artificial intelligence’s growing impact on finance organizations. Panelists addressed questions about organizational change related to AI adoption as well as issues around return on investment (ROI), assurance processes, governance structures for risk management with new technologies—and talent development strategies moving forward.
Throughout the day’s sessions—attended by students alongside practitioners—industry speakers described real-world applications of artificial intelligence across trading operations while faculty members explored both challenges ahead in finance technology adoption along with fresh opportunities now available through advanced analytics.
The Johnson Investment Institute continues building an ecosystem connecting students with alumni professionals plus faculty researchers—all aiming to elevate Lindner College of Business into a recognized center for investment theory/practice while providing experiential learning opportunities.
