The rise of the thinking accountant in an AI world 

The rise of the thinking accountant in an AI world 

AI is transforming accountancy, but not replacing it. ACCA’s new report finds automation is eliminating repetition while expanding roles that demand judgement, oversight, and strategic thinking. 

A new report from ACCA warns that the rise of artificial intelligence in accounting should not be mistaken for the end of human relevance. Instead, it marks the beginning of a new era—one where accountants take on more strategic, judgment-driven, and oversight-heavy roles, while handing repetitive tasks over to machines. 

The 2025 AI Monitor from ACCA offers a clear-eyed view of where the profession stands today: early in adoption, but with growing momentum. While only a minority of finance teams have implemented AI tools so far, investment is rising and cloud infrastructure—critical for widespread AI use—is now firmly in place. 

“Professionals who can embrace uncertainty, develop strong judgement skills, and continuously adapt their expertise will thrive even as specific tasks change or become automated,” said Alistair Brisbourne, Head of Technology Research at ACCA. 

According to the report, AI will reshape accountancy through four defining trends: 

The contraction of routine processing, as automation takes over repetitive tasks; 

The expansion of strategic and advisory work, with professionals leaning further into value-driven decisions; 

The evolution of mid-level roles to require greater judgement and client engagement; 

And the emergence of new responsibilities at the intersection of finance, technology, and governance. 

The implication is clear: the jobs are not vanishing, but the nature of the work is shifting. In contrast to past fears about AI-induced job losses, the report stresses that automation should be designed to support—not substitute—human flexibility and oversight. 

Accounting, the report argues, has always adapted to new technology—from the calculator to the spreadsheet. What’s different now is the direct impact AI has on knowledge work itself. Rather than simply speeding up manual processes, general-purpose AI tools and domain-specific large language models (LLMs) are restructuring how knowledge-based tasks are approached and delivered. 

Still, the pace of change may be slower than some forecasts suggest. Technical, operational, and regulatory constraints—particularly around data quality and the criticality of financial decisions—limit the areas where automation can safely be applied. 

The report identifies a crucial responsibility for finance teams: specifying information outcomes and maintaining oversight to ensure AI systems remain accurate, ethical, and compliant with professional standards. This aligns with a broader shift in accounting—from being processors of information to stewards of insight and control. 

Brisbourne points out: “It should be remembered that over the decades accountancy has prospered by its intelligent and enthusiastic adoption of the latest technology.” 

The report also highlights a shift in how value is measured. Rather than dividing work into high-value vs low-value tasks, ACCA urges firms to think in terms of quality, outcomes, and trust. As workflows evolve, success will depend not just on technical capability, but on judgment, transparency, and the continued social basis of trust in finance. 

Importantly, ACCA is also adapting its own qualification structure to reflect this new reality. The inclusion of AI and sustainability in the updated syllabus shows how seriously the body is taking this evolution, not just as a risk, but as an opportunity. 

In the final analysis, the AI Monitor finds that the profession is not at a cliff edge, but at a crossroads. Accountants must lead the shift from task-based execution to outcome-based thinking. The firms that get there first may not just survive this transformation—they may redefine the standard for what trusted finance looks like in the AI era. 

This article is sourced from the following link: 

https://www.accountancyage.com/2025/07/15/the-rise-of-the-thinking-accountant-in-an-ai-world/