Salesforce surpasses 1 million AI agent-customer conversations, says finance chief

This has freed up countless hours for accountants, allowing us to focus on more strategic activities. Indeed, there’s a risk that these figures point towards gaps in training and access to AI upskilling. If businesses, including accounting firms, are to make the most of the opportunities presented by AI, they need to ensure training is provided right across the organisation, and junior staff can also tap into streamlined working practices. Our research shows that older accountants are using AI tools such as workflow automation and compliance software more enthusiastically than their junior counterparts. This is driven by many factors, including willingness to adopt new technology to deal with manual processes, awareness of looming talent shortages, and a strong incentive to boost productivity. The future that is unfolding isn’t one in which finance and accounting professionals are replaced, but one where their responsibilities will change.

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One example is the painstaking task of checking which invoices you have, which ones have been paid and which you may be missing on a supplier statement. Some supplier statements can be multiple pages long and you get them all at the end of the month. This not only saves time, but also ensures data and liabilities are correct, which helps manage cash flow, minimize surprises and build trust. Keeping compliant when reporting tax is such an important part of running a business, and AI is a handy tool on that front, acting as a secondary check before you submit any reports. AI continuously monitors financial activities, flags anomalies and adapts to changing regulations, reducing the risk of oversights and offering real-time, auditable trails. Washington reflected on her career, including moving to Silicon Valley in her 20s, working abroad to gain global experience, switching from tech to biotech, and taking on a CFO role early in her career.

• There is a scenario in which concerns about AI’s reliability or predictability mean its use is restricted for staff that haven’t yet had time to fully prove themselves.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) will reshape the accountancy profession by changing how tasks are completed at all levels.
• Natural language processing (NLP) further expands AI’s reach, turning regulatory documents and financial news into actionable intelligence.

The human element: AI augmenting human expertise

• Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more – straight to your e-mail.
• AI-powered solutions can be a game-changer, effectively eliminating the manual effort and significantly reducing errors.
• It’s important to note that senior leaders will be more aware of the looming talent shortage in the industry.
• The next step is to ensure employees at all levels have the opportunity to get to engage with new technology, supported by clear guidance and training.

Tax preparation, for instance, is being revolutionized by AI-powered assistants like Intuit’s TurboTax AI, which can instantly scan documents, interpret the latest tax codes and suggest optimal scenarios for clients. AI automatically categorizes transactions and reconciles bank feeds, even learning from recurring patterns. Natural language processing (NLP) further expands AI’s reach, turning regulatory documents and financial news into actionable intelligence. Meanwhile, computer vision uses optical character recognition (OCR) to extract data from scanned images and documents, adding an entirely new layer of analysis.

Moreover, machine learning identifies patterns in sales forecasts and fraud detection. And deep learning, with its advanced neural networks, boosts accuracy and predictive power across financial processes. “I think as leaders, we have to appreciate that there’s this unprecedented opportunity for growth and value creation with AI,” Washington said.

Beyond just faster number-crunching, AI is reimagining the very role of accounting in businesses. According to a report from Mordor Intelligence, the AI in accounting market size is valued at an estimated $6.68 billion as of 2025 and is expected to reach $37.6 billion by 2030—a forecasted compound annual growth rate of 41% between 2025 and 2030. An experienced leader of SaaS and technology companies, she has a passion for scaling businesses globally. Having progressed from IT Director to COO and now CEO, she describes herself as a “specialist generalist”—a broad and versatile background that has proven instrumental in growing and scaling organizations. New roles are also expected to support activities ensuring AI systems remain accurate and compliant with professional standards and regulations.

This can help drive performance and job satisfaction across all roles, from entry to leadership level. It is important to remember that AI does not come built with the critical thinking and problem-solving skills that humans have, which highlights the importance of human oversight even with the adoption of AI technology. This is because human accountants play a crucial role in ensuring that there is accuracy and integrity of financial information and systems. Over the past few years, I’ve witnessed firsthand how AI tools have transformed accounting practices. For example, AI systems now can handle a substantial portion of data entry and transaction processing.

AI-powered algorithms have improved fraud detection for accounting in a few key ways. With real-time monitoring, AI tools keep track of transactions and can automatically flag any irregularities it detects, offering more oversight than doing it manually. AI tools can easily spot patterns such as duplicate payments, unusually frequent transactions and payments from unknown vendors , and then alert you to potential irregularities that might otherwise only be discovered when you conduct an audit. By focusing on both technological advancements and the irreplaceable value of human input, the accounting industry can achieve new heights of efficiency, accuracy and client satisfaction.

Human accountants possess the soft skills such as communication and empathy to understand the needs of clients on a deeper level. The use of AI is just like a car in autopilot, when you need it to it can break and stay in one lane, but if you take your hand off the wheel, it cancels the autopilot. That is how humans should consider the way AI works within accounting firms – you definitely can’t take your hand off the wheel. This is ideal for users who might not be tech-savvy or are just beginning in the world of accounting, providing plan language and easy-to-follow steps for everyday tasks. But is equally useful for more experienced users who just want to be more efficient. Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the accounting industry at an unprecedented pace, revolutionizing traditional practices and unlocking unprecedented profits.

“Customers get answers faster, and our support teams are able to focus on more complex customer questions.” The company officially launched Agentforce in October. There is a degree to which that caution is wise – you might not want to deploy a major new AI strategy completely into the hands of junior staff. But instead of acting cautiously, employers should take the momentum and invest in the training and governance to support their staff in using this technology. Hiring in business support roles have seen increases thanks to the return-to-office trend. However, AI is beginning to influence customer service roles thanks to the rise of agentic AI. We are ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), a globally recognised professional accountancy body providing qualifications and advancing standards in accountancy worldwide.

Another concern relates to the skill gaps of individual employees who are required to work with AI. “Many individuals in accounting and finance may not have had exposure to this type of technology, and the challenge therefore in implementing these projects is how do you help upskill finance and accounting professionals and practitioners?” said DePrisco. There are also operational challenges with implementing AI, including cross-functional collaboration. Companies that have adopted AI in accounting have seen an average increase in revenue growth of 15% from 2019 to 2023. For instance, AI’s ability to quickly process large volumes of data has improved our efficiency and allowed us to offer more timely and accurate financial insights to clients.

She emphasized the importance of cross-functional buy-in and setting the right tone at the top of the company. However, she also stressed the need to keep humans at the center of AI implementation. According to MIT research, the most effective use of AI in the workplace is not to fully replace humans, but to combine the strengths of both AI and human workers—especially for tasks where humans still outperform AI. The next step is to ensure employees at all levels have the opportunity to get to engage with new technology, supported by clear guidance and training. Employers should also recognise that simply investing in AI is not enough to get buy-in across the organisation.

This means they’re able to more clearly see the value of AI and automation to streamline operations and reduce manual workloads. The ability to reallocate that valuable time towards more strategic work by bringing in AI may seem more readily appealing to people with that experience behind them. The IMA released a report earlier this year on the impact of AI in accounting and finance as technologies like ChatGPT gain widespread acceptance. It points out how AI can automate accounting processes such as accounts payable and receivable, monthly and quarterly closing, expense processing, procurement and supplier management. AI can also help accounting and finance professionals get insights through data analytics to identify trends and strategies.