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The accounting profession, along with the broader finance function, has often been labeled as traditional. But that perception misses the mark. In reality, accounting leaders and practitioners have long sought out new ways to improve their workflows, from traditional spreadsheets to today’s cloud- and AI-based platforms. These advances have consistently helped make accounting more accurate, efficient, and valuable to clients. The rise of agentic AI, however, is a sharper turning point.
Unlike traditional automation, which follows preset scripts and procedures, agentic AI can adapt, make decisions, and act independently within defined guardrails. For accountants, this shift goes beyond task automation, enabling true digital collaboration where they work alongside the technology to manage workflows, enable compliance, and unlock deeper insights.
From automation to augmentation
Most accountants already use automation in some form such as tools that speed up invoice processing, auto-populate tax forms, or reconcile bank accounts. Research finds that 82% of firms report at least some automation in tax workflows. While these tools are helpful, they’re limited by design. They save time and clicks but don’t ease the heavier mental work of handling exceptions, detecting fraud, or interpreting complex compliance requirements.
Agentic AI takes this a step further, performing the same tasks and more while learning from the context, detecting anomalies, and escalating issues when human judgment is needed. Rather than replacing expertise, it enhances it, removing manual tasks and giving accountants more time to focus on client strategy, tax planning, and advisory services.
These aren’t distant, futuristic scenarios. Many firms are already piloting these capabilities today. For example, AI agents can supplement the month-end close process by drafting journal entries, validating inputs, and flagging discrepancies to reduce errors. They can run in real time across processes like auditing, where continuous AI-powered monitoring spots irregularities and shifts the function from reactive reviews to proactive risk management.
Ultimately, this represents a practical evolution of the work accountants already perform, enhanced by technology that seamlessly integrates into their existing workflows.
Agentic AI meets accounting at a crucial moment
Today, finance departments are grappling with multiple challenges – rising expectations from increasingly tech-savvy clients, rising regulatory complexity, and a rapidly changing business landscape – all while accounting skilled resources continue to shrink. The emergence of agentic AI at this critical moment aligns with the imperative for transformation practitioners feel: a recent Thomson Reuters study found that firms without AI strategies could fall quickly behind in just the next 12 months alone.
They’re well-founded in this sentiment. Firms that effectively leverage AI ease workloads from accountant shortages, empower accountants to find ways to better serve clients, meeting growing expectations for speed, accuracy, and transparency. Agentic AI enables advanced functionalities like real-time cash flow forecasting, proactive tax planning suggestions, and audit-ready reporting – services that go above and beyond by strengthening client trust and opening new revenue streams.
Adopting AI isn’t just about efficiency – it’s about cultivating a thriving workforce and staying competitive in an uncertain business environment.
Getting started without getting overwhelmed
For many practitioners, knowing where to begin with agentic AI can feel overwhelming, especially when they aren’t the decision-makers behind the systems their firms adopt. The solution isn’t to overhaul existing processes and rush into every new tool. Instead, to set themselves up for success and stay ahead of the curve, they should start small and focus on areas of work that have:
High manual effort and low risk: Tasks like data entry, reconciliations, or routine reporting.
Clear success metrics: Where “better” is measurable, such as fewer hours spent, reduced errors, or faster turnaround.
Easy integration: Tools and processes that fit within existing systems, aligning seamlessly with the team’s expertise and workflows.
Accountants don’t need to become AI technical engineers, but investing in understanding how to interpret AI outputs, validate recommendations, and apply professional judgment will advance their careers. Many firms now offer basic training in data literacy and AI ethics, which is often enough to build confidence and competence.
Guardrails: Why responsible AI matters
With powerful new tools come new risks and responsibilities. Agentic AI is only as reliable as the data and governance behind it and requires strong guardrails to operate dependably. Therefore, accountants must remain especially vigilant about data integrity, privacy, and compliance.
Firms adopting AI are responsible not only for implementing these workloads to meet client demands, but also for establishing safeguards like traceability, security, and human oversight. Accountants, in turn, have a responsibility to understand these processes thoroughly.
Emerging practices like the AI Bill of Materials (AI BOM) – an inventory of the data, models, and tools used in a project – are gaining traction as a way to increase transparency and accountability in AI deployments in finance. For accountants, these measures are positive and non-disruptive, fitting naturally with their existing environment of audits and controls.
Looking ahead: Accountants as AI collaborators
The rise of agentic AI doesn’t diminish the accountant’s roles; it elevates them. As AI takes on more routine work, practitioners’ unique value becomes even more apparent. It highlights their judgment, ethical reasoning, and ability to translate complex numbers into meaningful client guidance. This evolution signals a promising future for a profession often unfairly seen as one-dimensional.
Over the next few years, firms will increasingly adopt agentic AI-augmented practices, where human teams and digital agents collaborate seamlessly. Accountants will continue to drive the work, but through a more strategic technical lens, while their digital collaborators handle much of the heavy lifting behind the scenes.
The most successful practitioners will embrace the opportunities ahead. By starting with high-impact AI use cases, building relevant skills, and setting up strong guardrails, accountants can not only keep pace with a changing profession but also shape its next chapter.
This article was authored by Dr. Alfred Sanders, CFO Forum program leader at Genpact and was originally published in the CPA Practice Advisor