Balancing Technology With Work

Will Accounting Be Replaced? 🤖 💼 Everyone's asking if AI will replace accountants... Let me settle this once and for all. ➡️ WHAT WILL TRANSFORM ADVISORY SERVICES are becoming the heart of what we do. Gone are the days when accountants just crunch numbers. Now we guide strategic decisions using real data insights. Companies need advisors who understand both numbers AND business strategy. FORENSIC ACCOUNTING gets supercharged with advanced analytics. Finding fraud used to be like searching for a needle in a haystack... With AI-powered anomaly detection, we spot patterns humans would miss. The fraudsters are getting smarter, but so are our tools. AUDIT & RISK ASSESSMENT will never go away, but everything about it is changing. Instead of sampling transactions once a year, we're moving to continuous auditing with real-time data. AI review systems flag issues as they happen, not months later when it's too late. FINANCIAL ANALYSIS & FORECASTING is where accountants shine brightest. Sure, AI can run calculations, but humans bring context to numbers. Our forecasting is getting enhanced by predictive analytics and scenario modeling that processes variables faster than ever before. CLIENT COMMUNICATION is shifting completely. We're moving from transaction processors to trusted advisors. ➡️ WHAT WILL BE REPLACED Let's be honest... some parts of accounting are tedious and perfect for automation. MANUAL DATA ENTRY is already on its way out. AI-driven data capture and OCR tools process invoices and receipts in seconds, without the errors humans make after hours of monotonous work. ROUTINE BOOKKEEPING tasks are getting automated through cloud accounting software. Bank feeds, automatic categorization, and machine learning mean the days of manually reconciling every transaction are numbered. BASIC TAX PREPARATION for standard situations will be handled by smart platforms. E-filing tools get smarter every tax season. The complex tax strategy work? That's still all us. INVOICE MATCHING & RECONCILIATION is perfect for automation. AI bots can match thousands of invoices to purchase orders in minutes, with real-time reconciliation systems keeping everything in sync. COMPLIANCE MONITORING no longer needs accountants to manually check every rule. Automated alerts and built-in compliance checks flag issues instantly, letting us focus on solving problems rather than finding them. ➡️ THE FUTURE ACCOUNTANT The accountants who will thrive aren't fighting against technology... They're embracing it. The future belongs to those who combine technical accounting knowledge with: - Strategic thinking - Business acumen - Technology fluency - Communication skills === What parts of your accounting job do you think will change the most with AI? Which skills are you developing to stay ahead? Join the discussion in the comments below 👇

Could a Centralized IT Office within the office of the president be a 200-300 million USD Annual savings game changer for Ghana? As Ghana transitions governments and prepares for its first female Vice President, we have a unique opportunity to rethink how technology can drive governance and public service delivery. One idea that’s worth serious consideration: establishing a Centralized Office for IT Coordination within the presidency. Here’s the pitch: This office would serve as the nerve center for all government technology initiatives, overseeing procurement, system standardization, and digital transformation across ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs). But this isn’t just about saving money—it’s about creating a more efficient, transparent, and citizen-focused government. Why This Matters 1. Eliminating Redundancy Independent IT procurement by MDAs often leads to duplicative systems that cost time and resources. A centralized office could consolidate licenses and platforms, ensuring better integration across agencies. • Example: The US General Services Administration saved over $1 billion by centralizing IT and creating shared service platforms. 2. Scaling Innovation Centralized IT governance would allow Ghana to align its technology investments with national development priorities. This isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about creating an enabling environment for transformative projects like national digital identity systems and integrated e-government platforms, similar to Singapore’s GovTech initiative. 3. Operational Efficiency Standardized systems reduce operational overheads and ensure consistent quality across government services. A centralized approach could cut down 10–15% of resource costs annually. • Example: Rwanda’s Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA) has streamlined e-government services, ensuring alignment with its Vision 2050. 4 Improved Citizen Services Beyond cost savings, digitized government services improve accessibility and efficiency for citizens. Estonia’s digital systems reduced paper-based processes by 99%, creating faster, more transparent public services. • For Ghana, this could translate to $200–300 million in savings annually while building trust and satisfaction among citizens. Learning from Global Success • United Kingdom: The Crown Commercial Service saved £1.1 billion in 2020 through centralized procurement, proving the power of economies of scale. • Singapore: GovTech has driven groundbreaking initiatives like a national digital identity system, enhancing both service delivery and innovation. • Rwanda: Centralized IT governance ensures alignment with national goals while eliminating redundant spending. • Estonia: By centralizing IT systems, Estonia saves 2% of GDP annually—a model. #Leadership #DigitalTransformation #InnovationInGovernance #GhanaLeadership

🧠 AI in Government: It’s Not Just Tech — It’s a Transformation of People, Purpose & Trust The call is clear: governments must adopt AI — fast — to improve mission outcomes, public services, and operational effectiveness. But success won’t come from technology alone. It comes from leadership, culture, strategy, and trust. From our just released "Reimagining Government: Achieving the Promise of AI", here are the core principles every public-sector leader should internalize: → AI transformation is first a human challenge. Technical tools matter — but culture, skills, and mindset matter more. Invest equally in people as you do in tech. → Think in portfolios, not isolated projects. Strategic, integrated planning helps avoid redundancy, accelerate impact, and align efforts with mission goals. → Balance innovation & accountability. Innovation without risk awareness can harm trust — but risk controls without innovation stifle progress. Successful advocates manage both. → Partnerships are essential. No agency can go it alone — internal collaboration, external vendors, and human-AI teaming are all foundational. → Leadership must evolve. Emerging roles like Chief Innovation & Transformation Officers bridge mission alignment, culture shifts, tech oversight, and operational excellence. → Use maturity models wisely — but don’t let them slow you. Understand your baseline, but accelerate where feasible to lead, not lag. 📌 Bottom Line: AI isn’t about replacing people — it’s about empowering public-servants, enhancing decision-making, and strengthening public trust. The agencies that succeed will be the ones that treat AI as transformation work, not just procurement work.  Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eYiBZ4mF. --- "Reimagining Government" is published by Post Hill Press, distributed by Simon & Schuster, and now available for preorder from all book retailers - Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Inc., Hudson Booksellers, and many others. → Find your retailer (print, e-book, or audio-version) here - https://lnkd.in/ehk2WrCn. → For related research papers, articles & coverage (on Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, etc.), and podcasts, visit - https://lnkd.in/emDzGbYA. ➤ ALL PROCEEDS FROM OUR BOOKS ARE PLEDGED TO CANCER RESEARCH.

What if you could make the UK government's digital services the best in the world? Most people would think that's impossible. In 2011, Mike Bracken proved them wrong. The UK government's digital presence was a disaster. Nearly 2,000 separate websites. Departments spending billions on IT contracts that delivered nothing. Services designed around internal bureaucracy, not citizen needs. Whitehall's approach to technology was broken. Multi year IT projects with fixed budgets and false certainty. Massive outsourcing deals that created vendor lock in. When Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude asked Bracken to fix this mess, the scepticism was universal. Why would a successful Guardian News & Media executive join the civil service? How could one small team change decades of entrenched practice? But Bracken understood something the establishment missed. Digital transformation is about redesigning how government works. He founded the Government Digital Service with a radical model. Small multidisciplinary teams. Ship working products in 6-12 weeks, not five years. Put user needs first, not departmental politics. Bring digital talent into government, not outsource everything. The breakthrough came with GOV UK Instead of maintaining 2,000 separate websites, GDS built one single domain for all government services. It saved taxpayers over £60 million annually whilst making services genuinely usable. The impact went far beyond one website. Under Bracken's leadership, the UK became number one in the UN digital government rankings by 2016. Countries around the world copied the model. The US Digital Service, Australia's Digital Transformation Office, and dozens of others based their approach on what GDS achieved. Bracken's journey proves a powerful lesson. Changing massive institutions isn't about having all the answers upfront. It's about proving your approach works, one service at a time. The biggest barrier isn't technology. It's convincing people with power that there's a better way to serve citizens. What entrenched practice in your organisation needs someone brave enough to prove there's a better way? #DigitalTransformation #PublicSector #GovUK

The future of accounting isn't replacement. It's transformation. Basis just raised $34M to build AI agents for accountants. A signal of the shift happening in professional services. Here's what's changing today: → Weeks of work done in minutes → Analysis becomes continuous → Real-time error detection → Proactive compliance But core value evolves: → Assurance grows in importance → Pattern recognition becomes key → Cross-border complexity rises → Strategic guidance matters more The winners won't be who you expect: → Not the largest firms → Not those with most staff → Not even those with biggest budgets It will be those who understand: → AI augments judgment, not replaces it → Small teams can match big firm output → Quality scales differently with technology → Expertise matters more than ever The moat of scale that protected the Big 4 is evaporating. Soon, the best firms won't be measured by their headcount. But by their ability to deliver intelligence at scale.

UK Government Eyes £45B Savings with AI Tools A major #UK government trial has found that AI can save civil servants an average of 26 minutes a day. Over 20,000 officials across multiple government departments took part in the three-month pilot. They used tools like @Microsoft 365 Copilot to assist with routine tasks, drafting documents, summarizing emails, preparing reports, and updating records. That may not sound like much, but across a year, those minutes add up to nearly two full weeks of time saved per person. At the scale of 20,000 officials, the impact is even bigger. It’s the equivalent of giving 1,130 civil servants a full year of time back every year. That freed-up time can be redirected toward higher-value work, like designing policy, innovating services, or helping people directly. AI proved useful across a wide range of roles: ► Policy teams used it to simplify complex documents and consultations ► Job coaches used it to speed up personalized support for jobseekers Companies House staff, who handle the UK’s official register of businesses, used it to automate replies to routine questions. According to new research, AI could support up to 41% of tasks across the public sector. If used effectively, the government believes this kind of tech could help save £45 billion by making services faster, smarter, and more efficient. #AI #Technology

I've spent a long time building software for accountants! I've watched every wave of technology hit this profession — cloud, offshoring, automation, advisory. Every time, the industry adapted. The firms that moved first did well. The rest caught up eventually. This time is different. And I want to explain why I think that way. The CEO of Microsoft AI says human-level professional performance in 12-18 months. The CEO of Anthropic describes millions of entities smarter than Nobel Prize winners in a datacenter by 2027. The CEO of OpenAI says intelligence will become "too cheap to meter." These aren't pundits. These are the people building the systems, reporting on what they can already see. Inside accounting, the shift is already underway. AI agents are in production — closing books, filing returns, reconciling accounts. 98% of firms are now using AI. The Big Four have committed over $9 billion. Tax preparation time is down 85% at some firms. Here's the thing most people aren't talking about: AI automates the junior roles first. The data entry, the bank recs, the basic tax prep. But those aren't just tasks — they're the apprenticeship. That's how every senior accountant, every partner, learned the craft. The profession is already short 300,000 accountants, and now we're hollowing out the only remaining on-ramp for the next generation. The training pipeline is breaking at the exact moment we need it most. I'm not saying the profession disappears. I'm saying it gets transformed so fundamentally that the people practising it in five years will be doing a different job under the same name. The question is whether we design that transformation intentionally — or whether it happens to us. This is the most important thing I've written. 10,000 words on what I think is coming, what's already here, and what the profession owes the next generation.

One of the most important shifts happening in infrastructure today is the move 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. For decades, agencies relied on fixed inspection cycles and periodic reporting. By the time a problem became visible, communities were often already dealing with the consequences: closures, delays, emergency repairs, and disruptions to services people rely on every day. 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. A bridge bearing shows unusual wear before it becomes a larger issue. A roadway begins deteriorating faster than expected. Traffic patterns signal an incident before congestion spreads across a corridor. In other sectors, it can mean identifying a slow leak before neighborhoods flood or addressing deterioration before it becomes a larger public safety issue. Beyond the technology itself, it is how we use the information to improve the experience people have with public infrastructure every day. 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿, 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁. It can mean planning repairs during lower traffic periods instead of disrupting commuters during rush hour. It can also help create a more consistent level of service for communities that have historically experienced infrastructure failures more frequently and more severely. We are already seeing elements of this evolve in New Jersey. 𝗡𝗝𝗗𝗢𝗧’𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀. But technology is only part of the equation. The harder challenge is building organizations that can act on the information quickly enough to matter. While the data we are collecting is important, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗽 𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Closing that gap is where the real transformation happens. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲? #RealTimeData #PredictiveMaintenance #AI #SmartInfrastructure #InfrastructureInnovation #NJDOT

To all Accountants AI will eliminate routine accountants. That is the uncomfortable truth our profession must begin to face. This is the moment to start thinking seriously about optionality. Because the profession is changing faster than many people inside it realise. Over the past few years the data has been remarkably consistent. Research from the World Economic Forum suggests that up to 50% of typical accounting tasks could be automated within the next decade. And the tasks most exposed are the ones every accountant recognises immediately. → Data entry → Reconciliations → Transaction processing → Payroll preparation → Basic compliance work Many firms are already restructuring around this reality. AI tools can now handle tasks such as: → Ledger reconciliation → Invoice processing → Anomaly detection → Large scale transaction analysis At the same time, adoption is accelerating. A Thomson Reuters industry survey found that the use of generative AI inside tax, audit and accounting firms jumped from 8% in 2024 to 21% in 2025. Yet there is an important nuance that often gets missed. The accounting profession itself is not disappearing. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics still projects approximately 5–6% growth in accounting and auditing roles through 2033. So what is actually happening? The profession is moving up the value chain. The tasks that survive and grow are those that require: → Strategic thinking → Business partnering → Performance management → Risk interpretation → Decision support for leadership When I began my career as a CIMA accountant, much of the profession revolved around reporting, reconciliations and compliance processes. Today many of those tasks can be completed by AI Which raises a more important question for the profession. The real question is not: “Will AI replace accountants?” The real question is: Which accountants will AI replace first? Accountants who position themselves as strategic thinkers and advisors will become more valuable than ever. Over the next few years we are likely to see: → Fewer purely transactional roles → Faster career progression for strategic professionals → Higher demand for finance leaders who combine technology, strategy and judgement For experienced accountants this creates a significant opportunity. Your knowledge is not just a job skill. It is intellectual property. And today that intellectual property can extend beyond your organisation through platforms such as LinkedIn, newsletters, advisory work and consulting. In other words, your expertise can become an asset that compounds over time. So I am curious to hear from fellow accountants. Do you believe the profession is ready for the level of AI transformation coming between now and 2030? Or are we still underestimating how quickly the nature of accounting work is about to change? Let’s have an honest conversation in the comments.