The shift towards AI-enabled advisory is no longer a distant prospect. It’s happening now – reshaping workflows, redefining roles and, perhaps most critically, testing client relationships.
While much of the conversation has focused on efficiency gains and new service lines, a quieter challenge is emerging: how to bring clients and staff along. For many firms, success with AI is not just about implementation, but education, reassurance and trust.
Clients need reassurance that technology ‘is a supporting tool to our service, not a replacement’
Client nervousness around AI tends to cluster around familiar concerns – accuracy, data security and the perceived loss of human interaction. Firms are responding by reframing the narrative.
Trust comes first
‘We present AI as a powerful enabler of improving how the company works rather than simply another tool to implement,’ says Costi Perricos, global generative AI business lead at Deloitte UK. He emphasises that trust comes first, with ‘sound human judgment’ guiding every decision.
This message is echoed across firms of all sizes. Lee Murphy, managing director of The Accountancy Partnership in the UK, points out that clients need reassurance that technology ‘is a supporting tool to our service, not a replacement for it’, and are informed when AI is used in bookkeeping or forecasting.
Such clarity is particularly important as clients themselves experiment with AI. Antonia Vanbergen, principal at VCS in the UK, notes that they are increasingly arriving with AI-generated answers and asking accountants to validate them, often revealing gaps or inaccuracies.
Learning by doing
Formal training programmes for clients are still relatively rare. Instead, firms are favouring practical, hands-on approaches that build confidence organically. ‘Practical engagement is better than formal instruction,’ says Perricos, describing how clients are encouraged to experiment with tools in day-to-day work.
This reflects a broader shift from teaching systems to demonstrating value. By focusing on outputs – clearer insights, faster turnaround times, better decisions – firms are helping clients understand AI without needing to understand the technology itself.
In some cases, clients are already ahead of the curve; firms working with digitally mature sectors report little resistance. However, adoption is far from uniform, with generational differences, past experiences and sector dynamics all shaping client attitudes. Farai Musara FCCA, partner at KFN International in Zimbabwe, notes that, in particular, ‘the older generations value human involvement’ and may feel insecure if it is reduced.
Others point to poor implementation. Where previous technology investments have failed to deliver, clients can be sceptical of new promises. Rebuilding trust often requires demonstrating value from existing systems before introducing new ones.
‘AI is eating into the junior data-processing layer’
Some firms are taking a cautious approach. Nasheeda CC FCCA, founder and managing director of Nishe in the United Arab Emirates, highlights ongoing concerns around confidentiality.
While client education is one side of the equation, the other is internal transformation. ‘AI is eating into the junior data-processing layer,’ says Pamela Phillips, founder and managing director at de Jong Phillips in the UK. ‘We still need those roles, but far fewer; they’re now focused on checking outputs and making sure systems work properly.’
This is reshaping firm structures and disrupting the traditional ‘bottom-up’ career pathway, where experience was built through manual work. How can young professionals develop advisory skills without that foundation?
New skills, new expectations
To support this transition, firms are investing in a blend of technical and human skills. Soft skills such as relationship management, communication and empathy are becoming central as client interactions move up the value chain; Perricos highlights the growing importance of ‘critical thinking, sound judgment and the ability to translate complex findings into clear, actionable advice’.
Continuous learning is key. Murphy describes AI literacy and awareness as part of ongoing staff development, ensuring that accountants ‘get the best from technology, rather than ignoring or fearing it’.
Avoid overload
As AI accelerates workflows, firms are facing another new challenge: employee overload. With ‘a hundred transactions in a second’, staff must interpret and act on data far faster than before, creating a steeper and more intense learning curve, highlights Rhiannon Metalle FCCA, head of management accounts at VCS.
This, she warns, can ‘compound the overload problem’ as automation allows individuals to handle more clients without necessarily reducing pressure. In response, the firm provides mental health support, counselling and spaces to decompress.
A common theme emerges: the role of the accountant as translator
As Metalle notes, the goal is not to fight the pace of change, but to ensure ‘a nice balance’ that sustains both performance and culture.
Translators of insight
Looking ahead, a common theme emerges: the role of the accountant as translator. As AI generates increasingly sophisticated outputs, clients will need help interpreting and applying them. Firms that can bridge this gap, combining technical capability with business understanding, are likely to stand out.
‘Success will belong to those firms that combine deep sector expertise and the ability to translate complex outputs into practical advice,’ says Perricos.
In that sense, the core value of the profession remains unchanged. Trust, judgment and relationships still sit at its heart. What is changing is how such qualities are delivered, increasingly supported by technology, but ultimately defined by people.
More information
Watch live or on demand ACCA’s webinars supporting small and medium-size practitioners:
