KPMG has launched a new program for nearly 1,000 of its audit and assurance interns at its $450 million training facility near Orlando, Florida. The program, which lasts several days, focuses on developing critical thinking and judgment skills, moving away from traditional technical training.
This initiative reflects a changing landscape in accounting, where routine tasks like payroll and revenue contract testing are expected to be performed by AI within the next two to three years. KPMG estimates that accounting jobs are increasingly vulnerable to artificial intelligence, prompting this shift in intern training.
The new curriculum emphasizes "human-centric" skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and team leadership through simulations, team competitions, and workshops. Interns participate in exercises like a scavenger hunt and a "whodunnit" fraud exercise. The program aims to teach interns to interpret and apply AI output and use judgment to achieve sound client outcomes, rather than focusing on technical prompt writing.
While interns typically spend about three days at the Lakehouse facility, which boasts an 18-hole putting green, bars, and classrooms, the initial technical training will now largely occur at local offices. KPMG's CEO, Tim Walsh, stated that this new model highlights the capabilities distinguishing top performers: judgment, adaptability, and the ability to work through ambiguous problems collaboratively.
KPMG previously had approximately 2,200 summer interns in 2025, selected from over 42,000 applicants. The firm plans to eventually expand this critical thinking approach to its tax and advisory interns, signifying a "huge push" within KPMG and among clients to foster human connection amidst rapid technological advancement.
