7 surprising takeaways from the AI in Accounting Summit 2025
There’s more to AI than you think. Learn the latest from the AI in Accounting Summit 2025.
AI is just hype. Right?
Leading experts at the AI in Accounting Summit 2025 would disagree. Co-hosted with Aider across Melbourne and Auckland, the two-day event attracted hundreds of accounting partners and directors to learn the latest on one of the most pressing topics for the industry.
With presentations from multiple keynote speakers, the Summit showcased the expertise of AI leaders and experts, Dr. Kendra Vant, Inbal Rodnay, and Jason Staats, plus panels of accounting professionals who are leveraging AI in their firms every day.
Adrian Campell from Quickbooks and James Bergin from Xero presented their respective organizations’ views on the future of AI in accounting, and Karbon CEO, Mary Delaney, shared the findings from The State of AI in Accounting Report 2025.
The AI transformation is already here, but there’s more to it than you might think. Here are seven surprising takeaways from the AI in Accounting Summit 2025.
1. AI isn’t new
The reality is this: AI is not a new technology. It’s been conceptualized and developed for centuries.
Dr Kendra Vant has been building AI “long before it was sexy.” She explains that in 1726, when Gulliver’s Travels was published, the first imaginings of a machine “for improving speculative knowledge by practical and mechanical operations” was introduced.
Since then, science fiction has continued to develop this idea, with advanced technology, human-like robots, and, as Kendra puts it, “fantastic shipboard computers” emerging especially in the 1960s to 1980s. But the earliest scientific development was in 1956, with the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence where the term ‘artificial intelligence’ was coined.
Since then, AI has continued to evolve. In her own lifetime, Kendra has seen the greatest change in the rise of generative AI, with the release of ChatGPT in November 2022.
So while AI has existed for hundreds of years, Kendra advises accounting firms to think critically about how they engage with this new strain.
She recommends looking carefully at the AI ‘experts’ you follow and considering:
How long have they been an ‘expert’?
How lucrative would the widespread adoption of AI be for them?
“I think AI has incredible application in the world of accounting and bookkeeping,” says Kendra, “and I think you should be measured in looking at what you can make use of today and what you can make use of tomorrow.”
The resources to learn more are out there. “Get your hands dirty,” says Kendra, and start becoming your own expert in AI. Become familiar with AI terminology, prioritize the topics you see as most valuable to your firm, and create an action plan for deepening your knowledge on each.
The alternative is staying in the dark. And the longer you stay in the dark, the harder it will be to catch up to your counterparts who are saving time and generating more revenue thanks to the help of AI. More on that below.
2. People aren’t talking about AI enough
It’s on everyone’s minds, it’s in 80% of the tools you use, but not enough people are having conversations about AI.
According to The State of AI in Accounting 2025 Report, while 85% of accounting professionals are optimistic about AI, they believe that only 19% of their colleagues feel the same. Karbon CEO Mary Delaney believes that leaders have an important role in driving these discussions.
“It seems like we’re thinking about AI,” she says, “but we’re not talking about it as leaders to our teams, and sharing the power of what it could do.”
Firm partners, directors, and owners are uniquely positioned to change the perception gap in the industry. “When your people are more enlightened, they tend to be more optimistic, and then they’re also more engaged, and then they’re more productive.”
Talk to your team about how you use AI to save time and add value to your firm, and offer suggestions on how they can do the same. Be prepared to answer questions or share resources to support their curiosity.
Following industry leaders, like Brian Clare, Jason Staats, Chad Davis, Ashley Francis, Inbal Rodnay, and Kendra Vant to learn more about, and get inspired by, the possibilities of AI.
3. Your employees will inevitably use AI, so help them use it well
AI is not a dirty word. But when you treat it like one, it doesn’t stop your team from using it—it just stops them from using it responsibly.
AI expert Inbal Rodnay expects her team “to be well-versed with AI” and “to use AI for their tasks, and to use it well.”
An untrained employee might share identifiable information with generative AI tools, like ChatGPT or Claude, exposing your firm and your clients to cybersecurity risks. But an employee trained in the responsible and safe use of AI will know to anonymize this information.
It’s not about laziness or stealing people’s jobs. It’s about problem solving. AI is already being used industry-wide to streamline communication (63%), automate tasks (41%), transcribe meetings (40%), conduct research (39%), and generate marketing content (26%), driving greater efficiency and return on investment.
For President of Palm Beach Accounting and Financial Services LLC, Silvia Evans, the use of AI features “are giving us an edge over the competition,” while for cloud bookkeepers like Jean Romero, “composing emails and managing tasks has become a breeze.” And thousands more are rising to the occasion.
Inbal observes that most accounting professionals are using AI to support smaller, mundane tasks that they can then review. The human element doesn’t go away, it just gets redirected to more meaningful tasks like quality control and client relationships.
“Some teams will know how to put AI to use,” says Inbal, “and some teams will not. We know who we want to be.”
4. Your uncertainty about AI is an opportunity, not a barrier
If you’re uncertain about AI, you’re not alone. Its acceleration into everyday life makes it one of the most exciting developments in modern times, but AI as we know it is still in its infancy. But it is growing up fast.
Keynote speaker, Jason Staats, reminded audience members that “the further we try to look out ahead, the more we miss the point.”
What if you saw your uncertainty as an opportunity to be more curious?
AI isn’t a magic solution, but it is a valuable tool—one you can only make the most out of by staying interested. It might be speculative now, but it won’t always be.
“It’s not about what AI doesn’t do, as much as it is about what it will do,” says Jason.
Set aside at least one hour a week to learn about AI and experiment with free tools like Gemini, Otter, and Grammarly. Don’t be afraid to explore creative tools like Descript and Synthesia either—the more points of reference, the better.
See for yourself what AI can (and can’t) do, and consider the practical benefits for your firm. What if it turns out better than you thought it would?
5. The future of AI is in your hands
The prevalence of AI comes down to one basic principle: supply and demand. If the accounting industry didn’t want it, it wouldn’t have it.
While it might feel like AI is evolving faster than firms can keep up with, the power ultimately lies with you.
“AI-powered experiences will ultimately be determined by end customers,” says Adrian Campbell from Quickbooks. The features you find most valuable will continue to evolve with AI, while unnecessary features will eventually be phased out.
So if you continue to use AI as you need it, AI will continue to be what you want it to be.
According to Campbell, automation has the greatest demand in the industry right now—software developers are listening, and they will supply.
“AI systems are continually learning,” says Campbell. And end users like you are “the final arbiters of what is useful…and what is merely hype.”
The future of AI will be shaped by the accounting industry—not the other way around.
6. Resisting AI costs time
While you wait to see how AI will unfold, your competitors are already upskilling the next wave of accounting professionals.
Firms that don’t use or train their teams in AI lose almost 7 weeks a year to AI-progressive firms, per employee—and there’s a good chance that number will continue to increase as the industry becomes more AI-literate.
Meanwhile, accounting professionals who are advanced users of AI save 71% more time than their peers.
“More people are going to lean into growth,” says Mary, but the majority of the accounting industry is falling behind in AI training. Staying competitive means staying up-to-date with the latest technology—and buying back your time with AI-powered solutions.
It all comes down to training. Right now, only 37% of accounting firms are offering or developing AI training for their teams. But training is a crucial cog in the overall system of AI usage in firms.
More training breeds more excitement and engagement. And educated teams are more enthusiastic teams. Enthusiastic teams are happier, they're more engaged, and when a team is more engaged, they're more productive and more likely to remain with a company for the long-term. And in an industry riddled with a talent shortage, employee loyalty is like striking gold.
7. Getting started is easier than you think
The best remedy for hesitation is action. Try something, learn from it, and try again until you’re satisfied with the result.
This sentiment was echoed throughout the Summit: there’s never been a better time to get started with AI.
Just follow these steps:
Set an objective. Where do you hope to see your firm in one, three, and five years from now? Use that to decide your measure of success for AI.
Review your roadblocks. If bottlenecks or limited resources are stunting firm growth, consider those opportunities for AI interventions.
Involve your team. What are their day-to-day pain points? How do they feel about AI? The more you include them in the decision-making process, the more receptive they’ll be to any new changes.
Invest in training. Upskill yourself and your team for a smooth implementation process.
Commit to ongoing development. Create a Slack or Teams channel for your team to share AI resources, news, and ideas on a regular basis.
Mary wants firms to thrive in the age of AI. “I’ve seen people and companies put their heads down and go into denial,” she says, “and they aren’t here anymore. And I’ve seen others show up, lean in, and it changed the trajectory of their businesses.”
Embrace AI today, and who knows what your team could be capable of tomorrow.
You’re in the driver’s seat
If you take anything from this wrap up of the AI in Accounting Summit 2025, let it be this: the more you engage with AI—learn about it, talk about it, attend events about it—the more prepared you and your firm will be for whatever happens next.
More importantly, AI will be more prepared for the future you want.
As transformative as it is, AI is just an engine. As the end user, you’re the one in the driver’s seat. And if it’s not taking you where you want it to, don’t take your hands off the steering wheel—just change the direction.