AI is Disruptive Because It Exposes the Truth

Not Because It’s a Tool

Leaders are quick to say that AI is just another shiny tool — one that creates more disruption than it’s worth. I’m here to tell you that’s absolute BS. AI is no more disruptive than any other tool the profession has dragged its heels to adopt. Remember cloud computing? And that all turned out just fine.

I’m convinced that the real hesitation comes from a place of fear. Fear of the unknown; fear of the truth that real-time data delivers. And that’s understandable. Traditional unstructured data (e.g., timesheets) has kept a lot of secrets over the years, especially when it comes to operational deficiencies. Are you charging enough for value-based services based on effort? Are team members working at full capacity? Are you running your firm at peak efficiency from a human capital perspective?

AI packs the power to turn unstructured data into highly valuable, exceptionally telling structured data in a matter of minutes (maybe seconds). And that translates full transparency into time, effort and value. This should be viewed as a triumph, not a turnoff.

It’s time to view AI in a new non-disruptive way, embrace the truth that comes with good data and transform the traditional into the AI-X (Artificial Intelligence Xcellence).

The real problem

I contend that many accounting professionals fear this level of visibility. Because with it comes the undeniable truth about how you run your firm today. It exposes the cracks in the traditional business model; cracks that can quickly drain profitability dry.

I also believe that many firm leaders intuitively know the issues and challenges within their businesses. And that begs the million-dollar question: Are you willing to acknowledge that you haven’t been operating your firm in the most effective and efficient manner because you’ve leaned into bad data or no data for so long?

Mind the gap … and then close it

AI isn’t disruptive because it’s yet another new-fangled tool. AI is shaking things up because it removes the gap between knowing and acting. Hear me out…

The profession has accepted and lived with an “integrated delay” since the dawn of accounting. Delay (or hesitation) slows the decision-making process, sucking up valuable time and brain power. It’s a major blocker to get from knowing to actually acting. The good news is that while delay is built in, it’s not irreversible.

Here’s a high-level look at today’s traditional decision-making process:

• Leaders hesitate

• They gather input (data)

• They position, process and then slowly progress toward decisions

For years, this has been what it takes to get to clarity. To make it to a place where decisions are informed, sound and safe. AI rewrites this tired old script by delivering clarity instantly whether you’re ready for it or not. This is the real disruption: AI’s exposure of that hesitation, power dynamics and misalignment in real time and in real (sometimes harsh) truth.

Using AI at full capacity transforms the traditional to AI-X:

• Access mountains of data, including what used to be unstructured
  (and, truth be told, useless)

• Review the data

• Act

Hesitation eliminated.

The real question is: Are you ready to act on what’s real? Or will you continue to fear full transparency, real-time data and the truth.

Of course there’s a catch…

Like all good things, there is a catch. The thing is that AI moves at machine speed, but leaders are still human. This makes closing the hesitation gap a bit trickier because humans don’t just process data, we also process emotions, trust and relationships. This is the information that gets stored in a leader’s brain over decades — the stuff that makes us experts.

The best leaders won’t simply react to AI-driven insights — they also know when to pause, when to engage and when to let people catch up. It’s that knowing instinct that only those who’ve been in the profession for years possess.

We all know there’s no replacement for experience and expertise. For first-hand, real-world know-how and from-the-gut decisions. It’s a balancing act between applying the power of AI to your well-earned expertise and well-honed instincts.

Let’s get to the truth

The truth can be scary. It can be harsh. But it also feeds improvement and elevates leadership, staff and overall firm operations. There’s really nothing to be scared of. This data has been there all along — now is the time to use it.

The ones who win in this AI-first world? They won’t be the ones with the best tech. They’ll be the ones who know how to move when the truth is right in front of them — without forgetting to be human.