AI agents are rightly tipped as the next big stage in artificial intelligence, set to transform several industries, especially accounting. However, this powerful technology, capable of autonomously managing tasks such as account reconciliation, invoice processing and much more, demands careful and responsible implementation.
It's often said time speeds up as we age. In the technology world, and especially in AI, it's practically sprinting.
The accounting profession is already experiencing significant benefits from AI, allowing professionals to automate routine tasks such as journal entry reviews, invoice processing and transaction classification. Our most recent contribution to driving AI usage in accounting has been the introduction of Sage Copilot, our generative AI-powered assistant that we released last year in an early adopter program. One of these early adopters, blockchain startup Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc., has leveraged Sage Copilot to facilitate a substantial productivity increase and a 33% reduction in monthly close time. Instead of chasing numbers, innovative tools like this allow accountants to spend more time and energy focusing more on strategic decision-making and insights.
Yet the evolution of AI doesn't stop at process automation or a conversational user experience. The next frontier is autonomous AI agents — software entities that go beyond traditional task automation by independently managing multistep workflows with minimal human supervision.
What AI agents mean for accounting
Generative AI systems alone need explicit prompts to function, performing predefined tasks within limited scenarios. AI agents, however, use advanced reasoning and decision-making capabilities to autonomously complete processes from end to end.
Consider invoice handling: While current systems match invoices to purchase orders and flag discrepancies, an autonomous AI agent can go further by proactively contacting vendors, requesting corrected invoices, canceling invalid ones and refining its own accuracy over time through continuous learning.
This is more than mere automation — it's intelligent, proactive management and autonomous automation of complex tasks. Beyond invoice handling, AI agents can significantly ease tasks such as account reconciliations, audit preparation, fraud detection and cash flow forecasting. While today's AI already assists in these areas — such as matching bank transactions with accounting records even when some values don't perfectly align — an AI agent could take ownership of the entire reconciliation workflow, deciding how to handle exceptions and updating records accordingly. By automating these critical yet repetitive processes, accountants not only save time and resources, but they also dramatically reduce the risk of human error, gain real-time visibility into financial health, and enhance their responsiveness to financial anomalies. Ultimately, this means accountants can shift their focus from managing day-to-day operations to more strategic roles, offering deeper insights and advisory services that drive greater business value.
Such advanced capabilities are driving rapid growth in the AI agent market, expected to expand from $5 billion today to approximately $47 billion by 2030, according to a
Power without guardrails is a risk
Of course, the benefits only matter if the technology can be trusted. And in finance, trust isn't optional — it's everything.
The potential of AI agents is significant, but so are the risks if they aren't properly managed. In finance and accounting, accuracy and accountability are paramount. Poorly built or inadequately supervised AI agents could cause severe disruption, from misclassifying transactions to fabricating data — not only wreaking havoc on financial statements but fundamentally destroying trust.
To avoid these worst-case scenarios, it's essential to build AI agents on domain-specific large language models grounded firmly in accounting standards, regulations and best practices, making it especially important to choose vendors with extensive, broad accounting expertise. These specialized LLMs ensure that AI agents understand and adhere to complex regulatory frameworks, accounting principles, and compliance requirements specific to the financial industry. Additionally, incorporating expert human feedback and continuous regulatory updates ensures these agents remain reliable, secure and compliant.
And crucially, human oversight must remain central. AI agents should function similarly to autopilot systems in aviation, where humans remain in ultimate control, ready to intervene when necessary.
What comes next for AI in accounting
Understandably, there's skepticism around each proclaimed "AI revolution." However, I can confidently predict that autonomous AI agents are the next big leap and will represent a significant evolution for accounting and finance. They promise to reduce manual workloads further, enhance accuracy, lower costs, and free accountants to concentrate on higher-value activities such as strategic analysis and advising clients.
However, realizing these benefits depends on our collective commitment to implementing AI agents responsibly — prioritizing transparency, reliability and continual human oversight.
At Sage, we see AI agents, made possible by the rapid advances in generative AI, as complementary extensions to traditional technology. Integrated seamlessly into familiar workflows, AI agents will quietly amplify efficiency and effectiveness while minimizing complexity for users.
As AI innovation continues to accelerate, accounting professionals can stay confidently in the forefront of this transformation by learning, experimenting and implementing these tools into their workflows with thoughtful integration.
The AI story isn't slowing down, and neither should we.
Watch this space.
