Artificial intelligence is also changing the role of accounting

According to the boss of accounting software developer Sage, artificial intelligence will change the nature of the accounting profession as we know it today. He expects fewer but more productive jobs in the field.

Steve Hare, CEO of Sage, says that smaller companies in particular will soon begin to take advantage of generative artificial intelligence and use it to manage basic accounting processes themselves. For example, dealing with taxes, income tax and the like, which was once the main market niche of accountants and accounting firms, may soon be completely taken over by artificial intelligence.

Another benefit that Hare sees in artificial intelligence is that it will help fill the shortage of workers that companies are struggling to find for the basic management of basic financial tasks. It is precisely in this context that small and medium-sized companies have great difficulty in finding suitable personnel.

Hare je za tiskovno agencijo PA povedal, da bo umetna inteligenca “spremenila naravo delovnih mest” in da ne bo več računovodij, ki bodo nosili škatle polne računov in vnašali davčne napovedi.

"Vse to se bo digitaliziralo – papir se poslavlja in ne bo več potrebno veliko ljudi, da bi vodilo račune podjetij,” je dejal.

"Takšnih in podobnih delovnih mest bo manj, vendar verjamem, da bomo na koncu imeli veliko več delovnih mest, ki bodo prispevala dodano vrednost in ustvarjala rast v gospodarstvu. Manjša podjetja ne morejo zaposliti ljudi, ki bi opravljali ta dela – mladi nočejo opravljati teh ponavljajočih se opravil. Tako razmišljajo mladi danes, saj so odrasli v digitalni dobi. Mislijo, da ‘to lahko naredi računalnik, jaz tega ne bom počel’,” je še dodal Hare.

Po njegovem mnenju se vloga računovodje razvija v smer svetovalca, ki bo osredotočena na strategijo in napovedi. “Some businesses will always go to accountants for tax advice. I don't see that we can get to the point where we simply trust a machine to advise us about our taxes and our financial future. That being said, I think the role is moving in an advisory direction“, pravi Hare.

According to him, this would be good for the industry and the economy in general.

"I am optimistic because this level of productivity will allow us to grow economically,” je dejal.

Njegovi komentarji so prišli na dan, ko je podjetje Sage predstavilo svojo novo generativno programsko opremo z umetno inteligenco, imenovano Sage Copilot, za katero upa, da bo “revolucionirala računovodske in finančne procese ter procese upravljanja ljudi”.

The new software promises to handle administrative and repetitive tasks while recommending ways to save money and drive business improvements.

It should help with forecasting, cash flow management, and creating and sending invoices, as well as automating work processes and detecting errors.

Sage Copilot will first be available in the UK in April for Sage Accounting with a limited number of existing customers, before becoming more widely available in May and later in the year for Sage for Accountants and other products.

Other products and countries will follow later, the company said.

Hare je dejal: “Sage Copilot transforms the productivity of SMBs and accountants by putting trusted artificial intelligence at the heart of their business, automating tasks and providing insight into growth and efficiency. This is not just a function of artificial intelligence, but a commitment to building a future where companies can focus on their goals with the support of artificial intelligence."

Poudaril je, da bo “pomagala in ne nadomestila” računovodstva v podjetjih.