Artificial intelligence has had a dramatic effect across industries in a short time. Accounting is no exception, but there has been speculation of whether AI would replace those working in the profession.

In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Ted Callahan, Accountant Leader at Intuit, and Albert Bodine, Director of Commercial Payments at Javelin Strategy & Research, explored key findings from the 2024 Intuit QuickBooks Accountant Technology Survey and their implications for the accounting sector – including how accountants are interacting with AI. The survey gathered insights from 700 accounting leaders to assess the impact of AI and technology on their firms.

Contrasting the Narrative

Unsurprisingly, respondents identified the top challenges for accounting firms as maintaining compliance with regulations and tax laws and driving profitability for both their firms and clients in the face of high interest rates and inflation.

“What was surprising was that in contrast to a common narrative, accountants don’t view AI as competition,” Callahan said. “Only 9% of the respondents said they were concerned about AI replacing their job. Instead, they felt that embracing technology would help them boost their efficiency and improve their client service.”

“In addition, 71% of the surveyed firms said accounting technology solutions were the driving factor in the increased profitability of their clients,” he said.

Another key insight from the report revealed that 30% of respondents identified the biggest competitive advantage of technology as its ability to enable customized services and advice through data analysis.

“There can be a bit of fearmongering with AI and, in some cases, it can be justified,” Bodine said. “However, I look at areas like cash flow analysis, which can be one of the most difficult things to forecast. As AI tools become more prevalent and integrated into accounting platforms, they can deliver substantial benefits, especially if an organization doesn’t have the staff to perform that kind of analysis.”

The Top Priority

Partly due to staffing challenges, the accounting industry has embraced AI on a large scale—98% of respondents reporting that they actively use the technology to enhance client service. Additionally, nearly as many (95%) said that adopting new technology is just as important as traditional accounting skills to succeed as an accountant today.

AI is also the top priority for new technology investments, according to accounting firm leaders. However, there are three main concerns hindering full-scale AI adoption: security, accuracy, and cost.

“Firms are primarily concerned that effective data and security safeguards are in place,” Callahan said. “However, when implementing new technology, accountants must always do stringent checks to make sure the inputs of the process are valid, and the outputs are accurate. Of course, there will always be concerns about how the service will be priced and rolled out in the cost, especially as more experiences become automated.”

A Vertical Leap

To address these challenges, the broader accounting community can collaborate with clients to drive change through AI. Since the pandemic, there has been a vertical leap in the demand for accounting services among small and mid-market businesses.

“Back in the dark days of COVID, the government offered assistance to ensure businesses didn’t go under due to staffing shortages,” Callahan said. “There was the Employee Retention Credit and other initiatives that were implemented. The sophistication level of the questions went way up because firms had to report to government entities, and client needs dramatically increased. Now, with inflation and rising interest rates, the questions are getting more sophisticated again.”

Accountants have adopted AI to address the growing needs of their clients, from data entry and processing to fraud prevention. AI excels in identifying irregularities in data and providing real-time financial insights.

On the firm side, accounting leaders are increasingly deploying AI in their operations—roughly 65% of firms in the study reported using AI to manage client portfolios and client communications.

The Talent Gap

One reason accounting firms have deployed technology is to enhance efficiency and accuracy amid staffing shortages. Over the past few years, there has been a significant talent gap in the accounting industry due to a decrease in qualified graduates. While AI can help address some of these challenges, an optimized technology platform can also assist firms in attracting and retaining talent.

“Education and skills development can help a firm win the battle for talent, especially as more digital natives enter the workforce,” Callahan said. “A firm’s culture can be a strategic differentiator for attracting candidates, particularly non-traditional prospects, because there are fewer CPA-credentialed graduates. A robust training program that incorporates AI, coupled with positive culture, helps a firm retain its talent as well.”

Instrumental to Success

Concerns that AI might someday replace accounting firms seems to be unfounded. While accountants will increasingly integrate AI into their operations with growing sophistication, AI will always serve to augment rather than replace human expertise.

However, the growing complexity of accounting platforms might cause apprehension among CEOs and business owners seeking the right partner for their organization. Fortunately, there are platforms that provide non-financial professionals with valuable insights into their company’s financial operations, which can be instrumental to a company’s success.

“Our mission is to see businesses be successful,” Callahan said. “We’re doing everything we can to make the QuickBooks platform a single place where business owners can manage their finances. It’s built to be an integrated, AI-driven end-to-end experience. Our platform is designed to provide both the data insights accountants can leverage to help their clients, and tools their clients can use to help themselves.”

Accountants View AI as an Ally, not a Competitor