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It is understandable that accountants and bookkeepers ask whether AI will replace them. The more useful question is which tasks will change and which capabilities clients will value more. Routine processing will continue to shrink. At the same time, businesses will need people who can test systems, resolve exceptions, understand regulation and explain what the numbers mean.
ACCA’s Alistair Brisbourne says: “Professionals who can embrace uncertainty, develop strong judgement skills, and continuously adapt their expertise will thrive.”
Tasks are not the same as jobs
A role is a bundle of activities. AI may draft an email, suggest a coding or summarise a variance, but the accountant still gathers context, checks evidence, handles ambiguity and accepts responsibility. As automation takes more of the first pass, entry-level work must be redesigned so that people still learn how transactions flow through the records and how errors appear.
ICAEW’s 2025 international research supports that concern: 85% of respondents tended to agree or strongly agreed that trainees still need hands-on technical accounting work. We should not allow efficient tools to create professionals who can operate software but cannot recognise when it is wrong.
Four skills that increase in value
- Professional judgement: assessing evidence, materiality, uncertainty and the limits of an automated conclusion.
- Communication: turning analysis into a clear recommendation and discussing uncomfortable issues with clients or colleagues.
- Data and control literacy: understanding where data comes from, who can change it, how a model is monitored and what an audit trail shows.
- Ethical courage: challenging an attractive output when it conflicts with confidentiality, fairness, objectivity or the public interest.
AAT’s employer research found AI and automation among the most critical future finance skills, alongside forecasting, cybersecurity and data analysis. Those subjects belong together. Using AI responsibly requires more than knowing how to write a prompt; it requires an understanding of the financial process and the risks around it.
What firms should do now
Training should combine tool use with technical review. Give staff safe examples, an approved-use policy and a clear escalation route. Ask them to verify outputs against source documents and explain their reasoning. Keep junior staff involved in reconciliations, accounts preparation and client conversations so that automation supports learning rather than bypassing it.
My view
AI is likely to replace portions of work that are repetitive and easy to specify. It is also likely to create new work in assurance, governance, data quality and system oversight. Accountants who rely only on processing may find their role narrowing. Those who combine sound technical foundations with curiosity, scepticism and the ability to advise will remain valuable.
The future is not accountant versus machine. It is accountable professionals using machines well — and knowing when not to use them.
Continue reading on The Perry
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References and further reading
- ACCA, “How is AI reshaping finance and accounting work?” (accessed 29 August 2026).
- Chartered Accountants Worldwide / Ipsos, “AI and the Future of the Global Chartered Accountancy Profession” (April 2025) (accessed 29 August 2026).
- AAT, “Employers call for urgent action to tackle UK finance skills gaps” (16 October 2025) (accessed 29 August 2026).
- ACCA, “AI Monitor: Exploring the trends, innovations and challenges of artificial intelligence” (accessed 29 August 2026).