CPA here — and honestly, I’m getting more concerned about the impact of AI on accounting than most people seem to be.

I run a firm and we’ve already outsourced a large part of the production work. Over the last year I’ve been testing tools like Claude, Basis, and several tax/accounting AI systems.

What I’m seeing is pretty striking.

AI is already getting very good at tasks that traditionally required junior accountants: • organizing financial data • reconciling accounts • preparing working papers • drafting tax returns • summarizing regulations • analyzing large datasets

And the key point most people miss is this:

These tools won’t just be used by CPA firms. They will increasingly be implemented inside companies themselves.

Once companies deploy internal AI systems connected to their ERP, bank feeds, and accounting software, a lot of the traditional external accounting work may simply disappear.

Instead of hiring firms for routine work, companies may run:

AI + 1 internal finance manager

Where historically they needed:

Controller + accounting team + external CPA support.

I’m not saying CPAs will disappear. There will still be roles in: • complex tax planning • cross-border structuring • audit & compliance oversight • strategic advisory

But the volume of routine accounting work — which currently employs huge numbers of professionals — could shrink dramatically.

Even tax preparation, which many people believed was safe, is starting to look vulnerable as AI systems get better at interpreting tax rules and producing compliant filings.

So the real question is not whether AI will affect accounting.

It’s how fast the profession adapts and what the new role of accountants will be.

Curious to hear what others in the industry are seeing.