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The role of accountants and auditors will expand beyond just examining, analyzing, and interpreting accounting and financial records to managing, assessing, auditing, and certifying the inputs and outputs associated with AI accounting and financial software. This shift will require them to oversee the implementation, development, and maintenance of AI accounting software, which will substantially increase their workload and responsibilities.

Accountants and auditors, with their knowledge in evaluating financial and accounting data, are set to be responsible for the ongoing examination and auditing of financial data generated by AI. Their role will involve:

• Developing test strategies for AI-based accounting and financial systems
• Designing and overseeing the execution of test cases for AI-based accounting and financial systems
• Understanding the specific requirements for testing AI-based accounting and financial systems

To effectively perform these tasks, accountants and auditors must acquire new skills in analyzing algorithms and models from an accounting standpoint. This will enable them to establish and evaluate new controls for AI-generated financial data and ensure ongoing compliance with these controls.

While accountants and auditors are already skilled in managing the collection, cleaning, and validation of test data, they currently face challenges in performance and security testing. However, with the assistance of AI and further education, they will become adept at continuously verifying the accuracy of AI-based accounting and financial systems in real-time environments.

As a result, accountants and auditors will be increasingly relied upon to seamlessly integrate AI-based accounting and financial systems with real-time environments. They will need to continuously monitor and audit AI-generated financial data, ensuring error-free performance, and validating security measures to safeguard the system against cyber-attacks

I'm in audit. I think AI will be a HUGE win for CPA’s. There will be a need for human judgment in the foreseeable future. Audit reports will still need to be signed by CPA’s, not AI.

The first accounting jobs to go the way of the dinosaur and telephone operator will be those that are repetitive and don’t require a significant level of judgment, such as bookkeepers and accounting clerks (AR, AP, payroll, purchasing, etc.). A lot of lower-level tax work (data entry, etc.) will likely be automated.

As for auditing, some aspects will likely be taken over by AI, and for the better. A significant amount of transaction-level testing and confirmations will likely be performed by AI, and AI will be a valuable assist for designing and performing analytical procedures.

This will in turn create the need to audit the AI systems and algorithms, like how outsourcing and automation led to the standards in SSAE 18 and framework for SOC reports. There will also be an increased demand for consulting and advisory roles as clients look to implement AI technologies.

AI will help auditors be more efficient by spending less time on rote tasks. It will help auditors design stronger audit procedures, obtain better audit evidence, and improve realization. It will also free up more time to build client relationships and improve the busy season work-life balance. This will translate to more meaningful and fulfilling work and less burnout.

I’m old enough to remember the Y2K hysteria and fearmongering about computers taking everyone’s job. All of this “AI is going to take everyone’s job” strikes the same pessimistic tone.

AI is not likely to displace accounting and auditing altogether in the next 30 years, but it is rather certain to revolutionize the areas by automating bookkeeping, tax calculations, and other similar mundane tasks. Human accountants will work in strategic roles, ethics-related decision-making, and advisory functions.

The limitations of AI include that it cannot exercise judgment, creativity, and emotional intelligence, which make it certain that humans will continue to be required for complex problem-solving, regulatory oversight, and the instillation of trust in stakeholders. Instead of replacing them, AI will enhance the capability of humans; this will be a partnership where accountants use AI to enhance efficiency and concentrate on higher-value activities.

Upskilling in AI, data analytics, and strategic decision-making will be necessary for accountants to remain relevant in the future..

Like any other profession, accountants and auditors provide essential services across various business scales, from small enterprises to large corporations. Everyone engages in some form of accounting daily, whether by tracking income, managing expenses, or assessing financial balances. Thus, accountants are unlikely to be entirely replaced by AI due to automation. However, professionals in this field must undergo continuous training to incorporate automation into their processes. AI will streamline manual tasks and reduce production costs but will not replace critical careers such as accounting, which rely on human expertise, judgment, and adaptability in decision-making.

An auditor is a human being responsible for evaluating the validity and reliability of a company or organization's financial statements. It cannot be a system, process, or methodology. While Artificial Intelligence (AI) can serve as a tool for auditors to evaluate financial statements, it cannot replace the need for human auditors. Even if AI were to carry out the majority of tasks that accountants currently do, more accountants would still be required to audit whether AI is complying with laws and regulations.

Society cannot solely rely on Big Tech to evaluate financial statements, as they have proven themselves to be untrustworthy in many situations. For example, numerous antitrust investigations have been launched against them, revealing unscrupulous behavior. It is questionable whether society would be willing to place all their confidence in the hands of a few Tech billionaires, who will be willing to prioritize their political, corporate, and financial interests over society's well-being.

In conclusion, relying solely on Tech Billionaires and other elites to pay their fair share of taxes and evaluate financial statements poses significant perils. It is crucial to have independent human auditors to ensure accuracy and reliability and prevent conflicts of interest that may arise if the elites desire to further enrich themselves at society's expense.

The core job description of accountants and auditors involves "installing and advising on systems for recording costs and other financial and budgetary data". Consequently, the artificial intelligence (AI) software that will be utilized in accounting is poised to become the primary system that accountants and auditors will need to implement and provide guidance on. To accomplish this, accountants and auditors will need to enhance their domain knowledge, specifically from an accounting perspective, in AI testing, data analysis, algorithm analysis, and model analysis to effectively implement and advise on these new AI software systems.

In order to offer the most valuable and timely advice on any AI system used in finance, both accountants and auditors will need to consistently monitor the inputs and outputs of the installed software. To do this, they will have to explore innovative methods to establish new controls for AI-generated financial data. They will be responsible for developing new systems to assess the efficacy of these controls, in addition to being the ones tasked with consistently ensuring compliance with these new controls.

Accounting could have been automated even without AI, but it hasn't happened yet. The main reason is that people are hesitant to automate processes involving financial transactions. When money is involved, there's a natural reluctance to relinquish control. Additionally, there's a significant amount of sensitive information exchanged between the head of accounting and the company owner, making automation seem risky.

Similarly, in fields like law, people are reluctant to trust machines to draft legal documents or represent them in court because of the financial stakes involved. There's a fear that mistakes could be costly. Additionally, companies are wary of outsourcing these tasks offshore due to concerns about the security of their financial data.

In essence, the reluctance to automate accounting and legal processes stems from the inherent risks and the sensitivity of financial transactions, as well as concerns about maintaining control and data security.

The argument that accountants are going to be replaced by artificial intelligence is baseless.

Our society cannot rely solely on the elites' technologies to determine whether they are paying their fair share of taxes. The government will always have to pursue the wealthy to ensure they pay their fair share of taxes, while individuals will always seek legal ways to avoid paying taxes. Advanced technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence will enable individuals to find more innovative ways to evade taxes, making it difficult for authorities to prosecute those who are guilty of tax evasion.

For this reason, accountants and auditors will always be required to verify whether the technologies that are being used to evaluate whether individuals and entities are tax compliant are accurate.

Continuous monitoring of Artificial Intelligence Software used in Accounting is essential to ensure accuracy, completeness, reliability, and relevance of its inputs and outputs. Companies need assurances to mitigate risks related to legal, regulatory, and investor scrutiny that could harm their brand and viability. Accountants and Auditors are best suited to oversee AI systems in accounting due to their expertise in financial scrutiny.

Unlike other professions, Accounting and Auditing require specialized skills that most individuals in an organization lack without rigorous training. The level of training needed to certify Accounting AI outputs is comparable to becoming an accountant. Given accountants' proficiency in analyzing financial records, they are the most qualified to verify the accuracy and reliability of AI-generated financial data. Neglecting monitoring by accountants and auditors will expose companies to increased scrutiny from investors and regulators.

As the digital landscape expands and virtual transactions become increasingly prevalent, companies will need to expand their hiring of Accountants and Auditors to ensure that every transaction processed by their AI Accounting software meets set performance standards. Accountants will play a growing role in setting up, adhering to, and evaluating controls for auditing AI-generated data. The responsibilities of Accountants and Auditors will include conducting thorough assessments to verify the integrity of operations and reports within these organizations.

Once technologies become more advanced, individuals will also find more innovative ways to misappropriate funds within the confines of these advances in technology. It will be the role of accountants and auditors to continuously advise and assess whether the technologies installed are serving their purpose and whether true and accurate financial statements are being generated by these technologies. Imagine installing technology only to find out that millions have been lost due to faults arising from technology, and there was no one to continuously assess independently whether the system was carrying out its intended purpose.

The increasing use of AI in institutions will not diminish the need for accountants, but rather create a greater demand for highly skilled and certified accounting professionals. As AI becomes more prevalent, there will be a need for accountants who can evaluate whether the software being used meets the necessary performance criteria to consistently generate output that adheres to International Accounting Standards. This will involve auditing the datasets of AI, analyzing its previous inputs and outputs to identify errors and their causes, and developing strategies to improve these digital products and processes. To do this, accountants will need to expand their knowledge of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning concepts.

While accountants are already required to complete continuous education requirements annually, their curriculums will now need to be updated to place a greater emphasis on the management of AI and quality assurance processes to ensure that these systems are performing at a level that meets International Accounting Standards.

I wouldnt trust a machine with my life savings

Because we already have automation in this. And still people need them.

The accounting process involves the ongoing objective analysis and assessment of financial statements. Objectivity requires accountants to base their findings solely on facts, free from personal biases or external influences. Despite the belief that machines and algorithms are unbiased, AI-generated outputs can still contain systematic errors due to human-created algorithms and potentially flawed datasets. Therefore, accountants must continuously monitor AI outputs to ensure decisions are fact-based and logically sound.

Without accountants' oversight, AI-generated results cannot be reliably verified for accuracy, completeness, reliability, and relevance. With the increasing volume of financial data, the demand for accountants will rise to validate datasets used by AI models for decision-making. Furthermore, there will be an increased need for accountants to evaluate the reliability of outputs produced by AI models.

It’s simple data-driven work. Easily automated. It’s also a high-wage job so the incentive to automate is high.

The higher levels of audit require critical thinking and soft skills, which I don’t see AI/automation doing well. What I see is lower levels of data acquisition and analysis being automated and providing summary level exceptions to human auditors to confirm.

Already accounting entries and accounting related activities are automated in SAP and JD Edwards. I have personally experienced it 7 years back. It is already fully automated by now.
Auditing is fully automated using CAAT (Computer Assisted Aided Technics). I experienced it in Dubai in 2021

Since this field requires more human knowledge and human's own involvement in problem-solving which a machine cannot achieve in the upcoming 20 years and if so achieved there will not be perfection in that. So I confidently say that humans cannot be replaced for this job at least for the next 20yrs in line.

Depends on your expertise as an accountant, depends on your role, depends whether you're liked in your team, depends whether your industry is complex (like insurance), depends on your qualifications and depends on your willingness to learn and reinvent yourself. Not a black-and-white issue. Imho accountants will just become business analysts or advisors.