Accounting leaders share AI strategies

Six strategies for AI

Artificial intelligence is forcing the accounting profession to evolve faster than ever before, and firm leaders aren't backing down from the challenge.

When asked to describe their firms' strategies on AI, senior executives from Accounting Today's 2026 Top 100 Firms and Regional Leaders shared a variety of approaches and use-cases for the developing technology.

(Read more: "Accounting's AI arms race")

"AI is forcing a change in how we test for the acquisition of knowledge," said Arty Brieden, managing partner at Texas-based Seidel Schroeder. "Most of us grew up being tested in the following format: 'Here is the question. What is the answer?' In the age of AI, we believe that format will shift to: 'Here is the answer. Why?'"

David Kessler, CEO of New York City-based CohnReznick Advisory, commented, "Our profession is on the precipice of unprecedented change with AI — transforming how we deliver work, how we govern it, and how we create value. Looking ahead, firms that embrace AI as an enterprise-wide capability, rather than a standalone tool, will define the next era of the profession."

Implementation

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Nearly all firms are hiring dedicated AI leaders or creating AI committees, but they are taking different approaches when it comes to implementation. Some are taking ground-up, experimental methods, while others, like Richey May, are identifying industry-specific needs and pointedly applying the technology.

"By leveraging the diverse service lines and industry specialization across the firm, we can evaluate multiple tools to identify those that are able to best improve employee workflow for client deliverables," said Jason Yetter, CEO of the Colorado-based firm. "This will allow us to continue to expand our AI footprint in a deliberate and controlled manner that enhances our staff's expertise with efficient and repeatable processes."

Build or buy?

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Most firms are buying AI tools, rather than building their own inhouse — it's faster to implement and cheaper upfront, whereas building involves long development times and larger investments.

"Our focus is on delivering outcomes within existing client environments — not selling tools," said Brian Becker, managing partner and CEO of Chicago-based Top 10 Firm RSM US, which has over 250 tech partners. He argues this strategy accelerates the time to value versus starting from scratch.

Meanwhile, Virginia-based Ascend is building its own tools using a 20-plus-person inhouse team of software engineers and specialists to build and deploy proprietary tools.

"We will buy some AI tooling as well, but we are leveraging our scale to be fast, first movers," said the firm's CEO, David Wurtzbacher. "Our CPA shareholders are thrilled to be the owners of the IP we are developing and beneficiaries of technology-enabled workflows that just make sense."

Proceed with caution

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Firm leaders emphasized the importance of a strong foundation on which new tools sit — that means disciplined governance and data security. As AI becomes more sophisticated, so do the threats involved in its use, increasing firms' exposure to risk.

"We are embracing AI with cautious optimism," said Mario Donato, managing partner at FGMK in Chicago. "We are mindful of lessons learned from other firms who have over-leveraged AI tools without proper safeguards, oversight or governance, and as a result have faced scrutiny and reputational damage."

All in on AI

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Most firms — especially larger firms — are putting their bets on an AI-driven future, with some already making multibillion multiyear investments in the technology.

"We don't have an AI strategy — we have a business strategy that is infused with AI across every part of our firm," said Tim Walsh, chair and CEO at KPMG. "That includes the services and solutions we offer clients, how we deliver our work, how we develop and support our people, and how we run KPMG day to day. AI is not a standalone initiative for us; it is a foundational capability that drives quality, efficiency and better outcomes."

Tech-driven culture

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Leaders described AI as a key driver of culture, encouraging innovative thinking and creative solutions to old problems.

"When we remove the manual and the mundane, we create space for connection, creativity and trust," said Paul Bailey, chief growth officer at CLA. "That's why our investments in AI go hand in hand with skills development, learning and workforce planning, asking, 'How do we help people do their best work?'"

Wait and watch

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Broadly speaking, regional firm leaders are moving with more caution. Instead of jumping head first into AI, they are choosing to watch and observe as the dust settles and other firms experiment first.

Scott Irvine, managing partner at Houston-based Abip CPAs & Advisors, said, "We are currently waiting for the environment to sort itself out, watching closely and eager to see how advances in AI can improve our productivity while still remaining cognitive of potential security issues that are continuing to evolve."

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