"I've trained over 100 finance professionals to boost their productivity by integrating AI into everyday workflows. My mission is to help auditors, CFOs, and consultants save time and work smarter through practical, AI-powered strategies."
Derwish Rosalia
AI Trainer & Consultant
How Did an Auditor Fall in Love With AI?
You don’t often find auditors geeking out about tech. But for me, when GPT launched in 2022, it wasn’t just another new tool, it was a paradigm shift. I saw possibilities instantly.
I dove into online courses and started applying what I learned. What started as curiosity quickly became purpose.
A lot of tasks were not only reduced to mere minutes, but were also qualitatively better than when I would do it on my own.
The moment AI helped me replace hours of repetitive number-crunching with smarter workflows, I knew this wasn’t just hype. It was freedom.
Watch the full episode here:
What Problem Was I Trying to Fix?
In finance, so much of our work is manual, repetitive, and yes, prone to error. Whether you’re auditing or preparing financial models, the margin for human bias is real. And yet, what if we could use AI to shift that burden?
This technology helps us to be more effective and efficient in the work that we do… it frees up time for us to really focus on the strategic things instead of doing the repetitive tasks.
This was the insight that turned me from a cautious observer to a passionate advocate.
Can AI Really Help Balance Work and Family Life?
Absolutely. Being a father of five and working full throttle professionally forced me to rethink priorities. I used to spend long hours away from family. But AI gave me back the one asset we all undervalue: time.
Even in personal moments, AI plays a role.
If I have difficult discussions with my oldest sons, I brainstorm with AI what to say… it enhances the way we live.
Family is my why. AI is how I protect that why.
How Do I Explain AI to My Kids?
I try to keep it simple:
It’s computers doing the work that humans do… but better and faster.
No jargon, no fluff. Just clarity. And that’s how I teach finance pros too.
What Tasks Should You Automate First?
If you’re an intern under me, your first task would be managing emails, scanning, filtering, prioritizing. It’s low-risk, high-return. The time you save there can be reinvested in learning or tackling more strategic items.
But not everything should be automated. Some things still need the human spark: judgment, creativity, and that gut instinct you can’t prompt.
Do I Use AI to Avoid Boring Meetings?
Not to avoid, but to make them better.
I always have AI note-taking apps in my meetings. That enables me to focus on what’s really being said instead of taking notes myself.
It’s not about escaping the meeting. It’s about reclaiming mental bandwidth.
Is AI a Threat or Opportunity for Juniors in Finance?
Here’s the hard truth: it’s both.
In the past, you had the chance as a junior to do these repetitive tasks and learn. Now those tasks are being done by AI.
The ladder is shorter. Fewer rungs at the bottom. But the climb is faster if you adapt. Learn prompt engineering. Learn how to apply models. You’ll skip grunt work but only if you’re willing to keep learning.
What Makes a Great Prompt Engineer in Finance?
There are three principles I live by:
- Use your imagination: Financial training doesn’t encourage creativity. AI demands it.
- Be specific: The more context, the better the output.
- Don’t give up: Bad output isn’t failure. It’s feedback. Iterate, improve, repeat.
Even if the output is not the way you like, you should keep trying… so that you get your own learning curve going.”
Which AI Tools Are My Must-Haves?
No surprise here: GPT.
It’s my go-to. Whether integrated into tools, APIs, or standalone, it’s always part of my daily routine. It helps me prioritize tasks, reflect on progress, and adjust as needed. I even journal with AI every morning and review goals every night.
What Was the Biggest ‘Aha’ Moment When Training Teams?
I’ve seen companies spend weeks on analyses that AI now completes in seconds.
The biggest ‘aha’ moment is always when they see the things they are doing now themselves… can be done either by AI or with AI in a far more effective way.
Once they see it, they can’t unsee it. That’s the magic.
Which AI Tools Are Just Not Worth It in Finance?
Anything purely visual: image generation, video generation. Fun, yes. Useful in finance? Not directly. I stay focused on language models. That’s where the power lies in our profession.
Will Most Finance Tasks Be Automated by 2030?
Yes, except the strategic ones.
And even those? Augmented by AI. Brainstorming, planning, decision support. It’s all going hybrid. Human plus AI, not Human versus AI.
Nervous About Starting? Here’s the AI Starter Playbook
- Start small: One task. One team. One win.
- Test your risk appetite: What’s comfortable, what’s not?
- Set guardrails: Clear guidelines prevent chaos.
- Scale responsibly: Win small before you go big.
Don’t be afraid of all the risks everybody is talking about. Pick one small project and start with that.”
Final Advice for Finance Pros New to AI?
Stop waiting. Start experimenting.
Watch YouTube. Take online courses. Skip the theory, get into practice. The world’s moving fast and this time, speed wins over tradition.
