Your Firm's Personal AI: Custom Copilots and GPTs That Know Your Business
Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Instructor: Stephen M. Yoss
| Begin Time: |
9:00am Pacific Time
10:00am Mountain Time
11:00am Central Time
12:00pm Eastern Time |
| CPE Credit: |
2 hours for CPAs |
|
Most practitioners have experimented with AI, but few have moved beyond using it for simple emails or basic summaries. The real breakthrough happens when practitioners move past generic interactions and learn to steer the AI toward hyper-focused outcomes. By utilizing detailed, precise prompts and providing the model with specific context, you can transform a general-purpose tool into a specialized assistant. This course explores how solo practitioners and small firms are moving their actual data into the AI workflow to get detailed answers that are grounded in their own firm’s knowledge and professional standards.
We will navigate the landscape of “Custom AI,” from the simplicity of the GPT Store to the privacy-first world of self-hosted models like Ollama and OpenWebUI. We delve into how emerging technologies like Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and Model Context Protocol (MCP) are “opening doors” for firms to connect their files directly to the AI without traditional coding. This session is designed to point you in the right direction, helping you compare various tools and API options like OpenRouter so you can determine which technical path best fits your firm’s comfort level and privacy requirements.
Who Should Attend
Solo practitioners and small firm owners looking to personalize AI workflows.
Topics Covered
- Beyond Generic Prompts: Achieving Hyper-Focused AI Outcomes
- RAG and MCP: New Ways to Connect Your Data
- The Privacy Spectrum: From GPT Store to Self-Hosted Ollama
- Navigating the Landscape: Tools and APIs for Small Firms
Learning Objectives
- Discover how Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and Model Context Protocol (MCP) personalize AI
- List the primary differences between public GPT Builders and private, self-hosted AI tools
- Analyze how precise prompt engineering leads to hyper-focused and accurate accounting outcomes
- Compare the privacy features of standalone AI products versus direct enterprise API access
- Identify specialized AI tools that allow firms to query internal data securely and efficiently
Level
Basic
Instructional Method
Group: Internet-based
NASBA Field of Study
Information Technology (2 hours)
Program Prerequisites
None
Advance Preparation
None
