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KPMG partner in Australia fined $7,000 for using AI to cheat in AI training test
A KPMG partner has been fined after being caught using artificial intelligence to cheat in an internal training test on AI.
A partner at consultancy firm KPMG has been fined AUD 10,000 (around $7,000 or ₹640,000) after being caught using artificial intelligence to cheat during an internal training course on AI. The unnamed partner is among more than two dozen staff members at KPMG Australia who have been caught using AI tools to cheat on internal exams since July, The Guardian reported.
According to the Australian Financial Review, the firm detected the misconduct using its own AI detection tools. KPMG said it will continue tracking cases where staff misuse AI and adopt measures to better identify violations going forward, as per the report by The Guardian.
Andrew Yates, chief executive of KPMG Australia, also acknowledged the difficulty companies face in regulating AI use. “Like most organisations, we have been grappling with the role and use of AI as it relates to internal training and testing. It’s a very hard thing to get on top of given how quickly society has embraced it,” he said.
“Given the everyday use of these tools, some people breach our policy. We take it seriously when they do. We are also looking at ways to strengthen our approach in the current self-reporting regime,” he added.
(Also Read: Deloitte to repay Albanese government after using AI in $440,000 report: 'Human intelligence problem')
Rising concerns over AI misuse
Notably, the incident highlights how AI is creating new challenges for companies trying to maintain academic integrity in training programmes. While firms are encouraging employees to adopt AI at work, the same tools are also making it easier to bypass rules.
In December, the UK’s largest accounting body, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), announced that it would require accounting students to take exams in person, saying it had become too difficult to prevent AI-assisted cheating online.
Helen Brand, ACCA’s chief executive, said AI had led to a “tipping point”, with its use advancing faster than the safeguards designed to stop cheating.
Firms including KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers have also been urging employees to integrate AI into their daily work to improve efficiency and cut costs. KPMG partners are also expected to be evaluated on their ability to use AI tools during their 2026 performance reviews.
(Also Read: Elon Musk says Grok should have a 'moral constitution' amid backlash over AI misuse)
AI misuse
Meanwhile, in recent years, major accounting firms have faced misconduct issues. In 2021, KPMG Australia was fined AUD 615,000 after more than 1,100 partners were found to have engaged in “improper answer-sharing” on tests meant to assess professional skills and integrity.
KPMG said it had adopted measures to identify the use of AI by its staff and would keep track of how many of its workers misused the technology.
