Effective automation and integration can produce timely, clean data to surface information for courageous and fast data-informed decision-making.

In this solo episode, Heather explores how accountants can harness AI as a strategic enabler, boosting data-driven decision making, enhancing client value, and leading with ethics, integrity, and curiosity.

I talk about . . .

Key Points:

• Technology as a strategic enabler, not just an operational tool
• AI reduces repetitive work, empowering advisory services
• Algorithms + data = core to accountants’ strengths
• Data as a strategic asset: dashboards, analytics, forecasting tools
• AI skills are now a core competency—embrace continuous learning
• Importance of curiosity and experimentation
• Changing client expectations around speed, transparency, and insights
• Data security, ethics, and integrity as professional superpowers
• AI governance—opportunity to lead and educate clients
• Leadership moment for accountants in shaping AI adoption

Podcast summary

00:45 – 1 AI as a Strategic Enabler
Why technology is more than an operational necessity.

02:10 – 2. Automation Frees Accountants to Be Human
From data entry to strategic advisory work.

03:30 – AI in Simple Terms: Algorithms + Data
Why this formula matters for accountants and bookkeepers.

04:50 – 3. Data as a Strategic Asset
Leveraging dashboards, analytics, and forecasting tools.

06:15 – 4. AI Skills Are the New Core Competencies
From spreadsheets to generative AI proficiency.

07:35 – 5. Curiosity & Experimentation Drive Innovation
How to create space for trying new tools.

09:10 – 6. Meeting Evolving Client Expectations
Speed, transparency, and tech-savvy service delivery.

10:40 – 7. Data Security & AI Disclosure
Best practices for safeguarding sensitive financial data.

12:05 – 8. Ethics & Integrity as the Accountant’s Superpower
Embedding responsible AI use into daily decisions.

13:25 – 9. AI Governance: A New Service Opportunity
Helping clients set rules and policies for AI adoption.

15:00 – 10. Leadership Moment for Accountants
Shaping how AI delivers value and manages risk.

17:10 – Final Thoughts & Resources
Encouraging continuous learning and professional community engagement.

Scroll down for a full transcript

This transcript has been generated and transcribed by AI.

Today, I wanted to talk to you about AI technology and what’s next for accountants. I was asked to give this talk last week, and so I have it prepared, so I thought I would share it with you and sort of talk around what I was talking about in that short talk. I said talk way too many times then, didn’t I? Tell I’m not AI.

The intersection really AI, technology, what’s next for accountants. Let me go through sort of I’ve got some points that I’m going to go through here.

Technology as a strategic enabler

Accountants should see technology as a strategic enabler. It’s changing what our clients expect from us, how we run our practices, and even the sort of the value that we provide. Whether it’s choosing new systems, integrating tools or scaling automation, firms need to think strategically about technology. It’s not just an operational necessity, but it actually requires product planning, leadership, involvement and continuous reassessment. That’s the unfortunate bit, isn’t it? You can’t just put it in and let it stay there, let it keep rolling up. You continually need to reassess the technology. That’s sort of really important. So not just an operational necessity. We must think strategically about technology.

Automation that frees human value & decision-ready data

Yes, technology and AI are eliminating the routine, and they’re empowering accountants. So they’re eliminating repetitive tasks like data entry, but that’s not replacing accountants or bookkeepers. Instead, it’s elevating our ability to be human. It’s elevating the importance of our human judgement, of the advisory work we can do, of the strategic insight and impact that we can offer. So we’re really well placed for that, because we understand a lot of these different areas. And we’re all very, very overworked at the moment. So the opportunity to replace anything repetitive or routine, I sort of welcome it through technology and AI.

Now, when I do give a talk, one of the things I frequently say, I say over and over again at start of the talk, at the end of the talk: Effective automation and integration can produce timely, clean data to surface information for courageous and fast data-informed decision making. Every part, every word in there is really important. That is what we are getting by sort of embracing AI and technology. We’re getting that empowerment as accountants to support our small business owners make courageous and fast data informed decisions.

AI: what it is & why it matters to accountants

The other thing that I also like to talk about, artificial intelligence is mentioned lots. Everyone’s talking about it. I’m actually so many people are talking about it. The media is talking about it. Everyone wants to mention it. Everyone wants an article on it. What is it?

I want to share with you a very, very simplistic definition of artificial intelligence. Of course, there’s many definitions out there, but this is a really simplistic one. It is the intersection of algorithms data. We’re accountants and bookkeepers. We understand algorithms. We’re the people who get algorithms. We’re accountants and bookkeepers. We are the custodians of small business data. So AI is really exciting for us, because we understand the concept of algorithms, and we know we understand small business data, but we also know how to access it. We know where it is. And we know what we can do with it. That’s really exciting. So that definition that really simplistic algorithms and data really kind of encapsulates how powerful and how important we as accountants and bookkeepers are going to be in this world where AI is mentioned all the time, and is evolving very, very rapidly.

Leveraging data: dashboards, analytics & forecasting

This is my third point. Data is a strategic asset, so accountants now sit on rich client data. Tech-savvy firms are leveraging dashboards, data analytics and forecasting tools to deliver insights for what I mentioned before, courageous and fast data informed decision making. As accountants and as bookkeepers, we sit on those rich client data, and we have a lot of opportunity to leverage that data into dashboards, data analytics, forecasting tools. And look around, there’s a plethora of forecasting tools from sort of simple ones that just push from within the GL pushing out into Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel plug and place, the more bespoke ones, the ones that allow you to do vibe coding, the ones that allow you to do multi entity analysis, it’s really exciting. There are a lot of tools out there that you can use to leverage the data.

Skills shift: AI, automation & continuous learning

Really key to embrace that AI and technology skills are becoming core competencies for accountants and bookkeepers, just as spreadsheets, just as utilising a spreadsheet was key, a key skill, digital and automation, fluency and generative AI skills are now core, and we need to be learning about them, be using them, and sort of embracing how we can sort of enhance what we’re doing with them. I don’t think you know when you sign up to be an accountant or a bookkeeper, the amount of CPD that’s going to be mandated across your life on an annual basis. But this actually is quite an exciting and interesting area to tap into, so firms need to invest in continuous learning, and there’s lots of opportunities to keep learning about AI and different technologies that are using it with this and I’m kind of hitting point five now, curiosity and experimentation are key.

Mindset: curiosity & experimentation

Embrace the curiosity, embrace the experimentation of trying new things. And if you’re on LinkedIn, you’ll see some people soon as something’s released, they’ve tried it, they’ve tested they’ve put out their video on it, and that’s great. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t try something that came out a few months or a few years ago, but experiment with it. See how it’s you can use it, see how you could potentially embrace it. And you can dip your toes in the water, but you don’t need to jump in. You can try it, if you don’t like it, try something else. There’s lots of different solutions in each category that you can try out. Or you can sort of monitor what someone else is doing, see what they’re doing and cut that route down for yourself.

Operationalising experimentation (time blocks & team learning)

But the other thing I do like to encourage here is set side, set time a stage for yourself on a monthly basis. So that could be once a week, two hours a week, four hours a week, or something like that. Set set time aside for yourself to experiment and to remain curious. We need to adopt the mindset of play, learn, adapt, engage with tools, test, use cases, and actually learn through practising and doing. And there’s obviously lots of different ways that you can structure that within your firm. So you can go to conferences and sort of take back what you learn from conferences, or you can have one person set aside to learn something and then present it back to the team.

Compliance & risk: disclosure, security & human oversight

Stay curious. Experiment. Our clients, expectations are actually changing fast, and at this point, I want you, I know you’re listening in, but I want you to raise your hand if you think you’ve received an email from someone who used ChatGPT to write that email to you. Bet there’s a lot of people with their hands up.

Clients, especially maybe the younger or the tech native ones, expect speed, transparency. They expect insights. They’re using the technology so they know what it can do and they what they’re expecting their accountants and their bookkeepers to be using as well. So the technology can help you meet them where they want to be met and meet their expectations.

Now let’s slow down a bit. I’m talking from an Australian perspective, and I’m sure worldwide, the perspectives are different, but regulation in this area is fragmented. Accountants and bookkeepers are the custodians of sensitive financial and identity data accountants need, we as accountants and bookkeepers, we need to disclose that we’re using AI where relevant to our clients. We need to vet tools for data security and storage locations, and we need to avoid relying on AI generated advice without human oversight. Use the advice as a foundation, then give oversight. Give human oversight. Does it doesn’t make sense. Is this is an area, an extension, that you can make with that.

Data residency & the profession’s superpower (ethics & integrity)

Interestingly, sort of circling back to the mention there of storage locations. The world’s a bit wobbly at the moment, and you might like to check things that you thought where the storage locations were okay, whether you still think that they are okay, because things are a bit wobbly. And so that is important. Where they’re stored, how they’re stored. Are there multiple storage locations for the sort of data? Is it being backed up in various areas, as accountants and bookkeepers moving to 2.8 our superpower is ethics and integrity. Ethics and integrity in every decision, in the decisions that we make every day, in the decisions that we make when no one’s looking, when no one’s around. That is our superpower, and it is core to our professionalism.

Ethical guardrails: bias, privacy & accountability

With AI influencing judgments, we need to be thinking. We need to be ahead of it, thinking about the ethics consideration. Is there a bias in here? Is there a gender bias in here? Is there an age bias here? A lot of people have been telling me they feel that they’re looking for a job, and they feel that there’s an age bias against them, and that the AI is simply looking at their resume and flicking them on. Are there privacy concerns do you have? Are you putting client private data into models, and how are those models using that data? The accountability of how the data and what you’re doing with client work is sensitive, is central to responsible work. Use is central to responsible use. So bias, privacy, accountability, these are all things. They actually come second nature to us, I believe. But all be mindful, as the accountants, the bookkeepers, be mindful, because you are probably going to be more aware of this than your clients are, and you might need to actually talk and bring that conversation to them.

Governance gap & advisory opportunity

Now there’s a lot of organisations dabbling with AI, but only a considerable, a considerable number less have some sort of governance in place around AI usage as accountants and bookkeepers, we are well positioned to help close this gap, to talk to our small business owners about governance, AI governance, AI usage, and to highlight to them that they need to put rules in place and train their train their team on those rules. For example, sort of circling back to sort of some of the stuff that we’ve touched on, making sure private client data isn’t going into ChatGPT, because it then is available to everyone. Making sure prime private client data, business data, identity data is held very securely.

Leadership moment for the profession

Okay, the government gap that the governance gaps are a real risk, and accountants and bookkeepers are really well placed to provide that additional education to their small business clients in that area. So we’re at a really, really interesting point in time, and accountants and bookkeepers can very much absorb this and take this as a leadership moment. There’s a lot of change happening, there’s a lot of noise around AI and technology, but this is a leadership opportunity for accountants and bookkeepers to shape how we deliver, to shape the value that we deliver, to shape how risks are managed, how we can seize the opportunities, and how we can educate our clients.

I am always sitting in the accounting technology world. I don’t have a problem with the speed anything that’s rolling out. And I think it’s really, really exciting that very much the core values of accountants are ethics and integrity, and with our accountants and bookkeepers ethics and integrity, and with that our professionalism, we can really demonstrate leadership in this space and guide our team, our staff, our small business clients and the wider community about how they should adopt and use AI and technology.

Resources & next steps (Accountants Daily, governance & capacity)

Thank you for listening to that little talk. And that was kind of from a talk I was asked to give on AI tech and what’s next for accountants. It was specifically accountants. But of course, all of that was relevant to bookkeepers, and I will highlight in terms of governance. If you jump over to Accountants Daily, they have an episode called it’s in the Under The Hood, a series of Accountants Daily, and they interview Kyelie Baxter. That’s Kyelie with an E, not all Kyelie with two E’s, I think Baxter. It’s a whole episode on governance and accountants and that area. I think it’d be interesting to go and listen to that, if that has sparked your interest, because it is an area that you can offer services in and generate revenue from. I am always like, you know, if capacity is an issue, grow your current fish bigger. Don’t keep on taking more fish and make life more complex.

Thank you very much for listening in. I encourage you to keep up to date with the modern accounting technology landscape by subscribing to this podcast that you’re listening now. If you’re watching it on YouTube, subscribe on YouTube if you’re listening on the podcast, subscribe to the podcast. Join the conversations happening in the Accounting Apps Mastermind Community, and join the newsletter at AccountingApps.io.