Artificial Intelligence redefines accountancy, transforming it from automated tasks to human strategic decision-making roles
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has published a comprehensive report on the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the accounting profession, highlighting significant changes that are expected in the coming years.
According to the report, AI and automation will gradually reduce the amount of routine accounting tasks such as data entry and ledger management, freeing up accountants to focus on higher-level roles involving judgement, strategy, and advisory work. This shift will lead to an expansion in strategic and advisory decision-making, where accountants can provide deeper insights leveraging AI.
The evolution of mid-level roles is another key trend. These roles will transform to incorporate more judgement, client interaction, and a blend of financial expertise and technological fluency. Moreover, new responsibilities will emerge, merging accounting with technology and strategy. Accountants will take on roles ensuring the accuracy, compliance, and ethical use of AI systems, focusing on transparency, oversight, and managing AI-driven processes within professional standards.
The report underscores that while AI enhances efficiency and automates routine work, human judgement, trust, and ethical considerations remain crucial at key decision points. Accountants will need to balance automation benefits with maintaining control, transparency, and professional integrity. This reflects a broader trend of accountants becoming strategic business partners, technologically fluent, and ethical stewards in a rapidly evolving AI-enhanced work environment.
The report also emphasises that the future of accounting is not about replacing professionals but changing their responsibilities. AI adoption is expected to accelerate in the coming years, with widespread cloud adoption providing a crucial foundation for AI implementation. However, human intervention will be necessary at critical junctures in the AI-integrated accounting process.
Success in this transition depends on making clear assessments of where AI will add value, establishing clear policies and governance in its use, and the cultivation of skills that complement technical capabilities. ACCA anticipates that the profession is still in the invention and adoption stage of AI, as demonstrated by investment data and current adoption/usage statistics.
The ACCA Qualification will now embrace emerging advances in technology and sustainability to align with the expanding role of accountants in the digital and sustainable era. The report outlines four major work trends that AI is expected to drive within the accounting profession: decline of routine processing tasks, greater emphasis on strategic and advisory decision-making, evolution of mid-level roles, and emergence of new responsibilities at the intersection of accounting, technology, and strategy.
In addition, the ACCA Virtual Careers Fair (APAC VCF) 2025 will offer a digital platform to connect talent with leading employers in the Asia-Pacific region. The profession is embracing the learning and employment challenge offered by AI, as shown by the recently announced changes to the ACCA Qualification.
The report suggests that trust remains a fundamental concept in accounting, built on human interaction, transparency, and oversight. Alistair Brisbourne, head of technology research at ACCA, stated that professionals who can embrace uncertainty, develop strong judgement skills, and continuously adapt their expertise will thrive in the AI-driven future. The widespread use of a general-purpose technology like AI may take longer than anticipated.
In response to these changes, Agribank employees have attended training courses on international financial reporting standards, sustainable finance, and digital finance this year. The future of accounting will involve navigating tensions between efficiency and human judgement, automation and control.
[1] ACCA (202X). AI and the accounting profession: A guide to the future. Retrieved from https://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/professional-insights/technology-digitalisation/artificial-intelligence/ai-and-the-accounting-profession.html
[2] ACCA (202X). ACCA Virtual Careers Fair (APAC VCF) 2025. Retrieved from https://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/events/careers-fairs/apac-vcf.html
[3] ACCA (202X). Redesigning the ACCA Qualification for the digital and sustainable era. Retrieved from https://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/professional-insights/careers/qualifications/redesigning-the-acca-qualification.html
Accountants will need to balance the benefits of automation with maintaining control, transparency, and professional integrity as AI and automation gradually reduce routine accounting tasks, focusing on higher-level roles integrating judgement, strategy, and advisory work (AI and automation). The evolution of mid-level roles will incorporate more judgement, client interaction, and a blend of financial expertise and technological fluency, merging accounting with technology and strategy (evolution of mid-level roles).
The ACCA Qualification will now embrace emerging advances in technology and sustainability to align with the expanding role of accountants in the digital and sustainable era, preparing professionals to navigate tensions between efficiency and human judgement, automation and control (ACCA Qualification).
