Will AI replace accountants? No, and here’s why.

Picture it: San Francisco. March 2023. OpenAI releases GPT-4. To close out the demo, GPT-4 prepares a tax return.

Very cool, or very concerning?

The headlines the next day were enough to make any accountant stressed. After all, if artificial intelligence can prepare a tax return, it can do everything an accountant can do, right?

Wrong. 

There’s no doubt that the impact of AI is changing the accounting profession, arguably like never before. Since that OpenAI demo, dozens of ChatGPT features have been released, and a slew of AI tools have hit the market.

Spreadsheets are analyzing themselves, emails are being written using just a few prompts, tasks are being completed autonomously, and highly specialized knowledge is now accessible in a matter of seconds.

The question on many people’s minds is an unsettling one: Will AI replace me?

But, the future of accounting is positive. Fear and uncertainty are a part of change, and if you’re feeling it, that means you’re clued in. That means you care. And that’s where you have the upper hand on AI. It will never be more human than you. Never be able to empathize, contextualize, or socialize like you.

So, no, AI won’t replace you. As long as you’re not burying your head in the sand. 

Here’s how you can navigate the new era of accounting with confidence.

AI can’t do everything

To start, it’s important to remember what tools like generative AI and ChatGPT can and can’t do.

AI can:

• Read and extract financial data from financial statements, Microsoft Excel, and other tools (including other AI-systems)

• Quickly analyze large volumes of data for patterns and forecasting

• Condense and interpret long-form writing

• Automate routine and repetitive tasks, like data entry

But AI can’t: 

• Apply critical and contextual thinking to a situation

• Keep clients happy and feeling valued

• Exercise discretion and make interpretative decisions

• Offer qualified advice or creative solutions based on a deep understanding of a client’s goals and challenges

• Provide a human touch to all the financial analysis, strategic decision-making, and financial reporting they provide

There may never be a definitive list on what AI can and can’t do, but you don’t need one to continue having a successful career in accounting. Most likely, AI will actually help you advance on your accounting journey.

After all, AI is just a tool. Learn how to use it to your advantage, and remember to check any outputs for accuracy, quality, and tone, like you would any work. AI can learn data, but it can’t create knowledge. So, it might make for an excellent assistant, but accounting professionals will always be the trusted experts in the room.

Free up time to focus on tasks that really count 

You know that accounting isn’t limited to data input and output. 

Accounting is a complex field that requires problem solving and critical thinking. AI can help with some tasks, such as pulling data from bank statements and organizing information from multiple inputs. But to date, it can’t perform the whole range of accounting tasks, or supersede the need for an accountant entirely.

Many tasks currently performed by accountants will become outdated down the road. This isn’t new: technology emerges and in response, new ways of doing things are developed. 

Computers took over typewriters, calculators made abacuses redundant, but writers and mathematicians were never replaced. Their processes just became easier, allowing them to do more, not less, of what they love.

In that sense, for the multifaceted role of an accounting professional, AI can be your ally.

According to the State of AI in Accounting 2025 report, the top three ways accounting and bookkeeping professionals are using AI technology today are:

1. Communication: 64% are using AI to write emails

2. Task automation: 41% are using AI to automate their workflows

3. Meeting transcription: 40% are using AI to transcribe meetings, automatically generating action items and summaries for clients and colleagues.

In that same study, 80% of accounting professionals reported increased AI functionality in their existing accounting software.

Think of AI in accounting as a timesaver, allowing you to take on the more complex (and profitable) tasks.

How today’s accountants use Karbon AI in the real world

Karbon AI is a perfect example of an AI tool designed to supplement your work as an accountant. 

It saves you time by:

• Summarizing long email threads and conversations, so you can “get a quick overview or refresher before diving into that email.”

• Summarizing client records and work, helping generate a snapshot of key highlights and recent updates on any job or client.

• Drafting emails, helping build momentum on client relationships with quick replies and draft responses generated from context. This is also “great for more junior staff to gain confidence when writing client emails.”

• Suggesting colleague and contact email assignments based on prior work history.

• Correcting missed time entries that are flagged based on actual work completed.

• Creating emails from tasks automatically, reflecting a job’s progress and any other prompts you provide.

• Automating routine tasks, like requesting eSignatures and approvals, sending client reminders, and managing documents, increasing and minimizing human error.

Accounting firms that automate their work in Karbon see significant improvements. For example, TMS saw a 40% increase in productivity, and Envolta expedited their onboarding process, contributing to a 99% client retention rate.

Book a demo to learn more about how Karbon AI can help your firm save time and focus on what matters most.

Talk to your clients about how AI fits into your role 

There’s a lot of talk out there that claims AI will eventually play the entire role of accountants, and the talent shortage in the accounting industry does nothing but fuel that train of thought.

But there are things you can do to keep the faith and educate those who are misinformed. What’s the best way to get ahead of a PR disaster? Communicate.

“The biggest thing accountants are facing right now is… the fact that our clients see all the same headlines that we see every day,” says Jason Staats. “Some of those are helpful, some of those aren't, especially in an age when people just learn from headlines.”

Which means they have the same doubts, questions, and mixed messages about AI that you do.

This is your opportunity to take control of the narrative on AI by:

• Sharing commentary in your newsletter

• Creating resources to help your clients understand AI

• Including your AI policy on your website  

The more you become an authority on artificial intelligence in accounting, the more your clients will understand and trust the value of your services.

Download The State of AI in Accounting Report 2025 here to get started.

Accounting has always adapted to change. AI is no different.

If you’re still feeling worried about accounting being an at-risk job, think back to when cloud accounting first came on the scene. 

The industry was rife with fears of job losses, but they proved to be unwarranted. By including clients in the process of moving to the cloud, accountants were able to demonstrate their usefulness and relevance in the face of new technology.

And accounting practices that embraced the cloud and became early adopters of the technology gained a leg up among competitors.

Pursue AI the same way.

Approach AI with cautious optimism

In short: don’t panic.

The rise of AI in accounting is “the opportunity to do more, better.” To deliver more polished work to your clients, broaden your expertise, add to your skills, and to focus on the human-to-human work that matters most. 

Good AI and smart accountants will do better, faster work than either could do alone. So, play around with ChatGPT and see what it can do to make your job easier. Identify how it can become a tool for your team and start using it to improve your performance and your firm’s performance. 

Then, add it into your workflows, check and double check the work, and be transparent with your clients about how you’re using AI. In doing so, you’ll show them not only how irreplaceable you are, but how new technology (paired with an AI-driven firm) gives them stronger finances.

Just remember that above all, your clients value you: your human expertise, your human judgment, your human interaction.