We’re living through a professional renaissance.
Not because AI is new, but because what we can do with it is changing everything about how accountants think, work and lead.
At the ADP Accountant Connect AI Forum, I joined a conversation about how AI is transforming advisory. The big idea? AI isn’t coming for your job. But the accountant who uses AI might.
From Busy to Better
For decades, we’ve been too busy to truly advise. Our calendars were packed, our teams were stretched and the best we could do was get the work out the door. Advisory was always the dream that lived at the bottom of the to-do list.
But now, the grunt work — the repetitive, data-heavy, time-sucking tasks — is exactly what AI is best at. That’s not a threat. It’s freedom.
Because the question isn’t “Will AI replace me?” It’s “How will I use AI to show up as a better professional?”
When you see AI as a strategic thought partner, you start thinking differently about your own value. You stop billing for effort and start charging for outcomes, ideas and insight.
The Advisory Mindset
Advisory isn’t a product you sell; it’s a way you show up. It’s about being curious, empathetic and strategic. It’s asking, “What’s next for this client?” instead of “What’s due next?”
AI helps us get to advisory faster because it gives us back time and context. But it’s still up to us to lead the conversation. As Naomi Lariviere, chief product owner at ADP, said, “the human is always leading, the AI is just supporting.”
That’s a critical distinction. The future accountant doesn’t compete with technology; they collaborate with it.
Building Relevance Through Partnership
The relationship between accountants and tech companies is evolving. Instead of waiting for new tools to appear, we’re finally helping shape them. We’re saying: “Here’s how the work really happens. Here’s where AI can make a difference.”
That’s how we stay relevant. That’s how we keep the human part of accounting human.
The Call to Lead
By 2030, our jobs will look drastically different. But that doesn’t have to be scary. It’s exhilarating.
The Renaissance accountants will be those who learn fast, stay curious and lead with empathy and data.
AI isn’t the end of accounting. It’s the beginning of what comes next. And this time, we get to define it.
