AI enthusiasm stumbles due to training gap, survey shows
Firms that delay adopting the technology risk devaluing their business, says software company Karbon.
Most accounting firms are interested in AI, but few are following through with staff training and that will prove the main hurdle for widespread adoption, according to a report by software company Karbon.
Karbon’s State of AI in Accounting found 82 per cent of accountants were “intrigued or excited” by AI, with almost half (46 per cent) seeing it as a key factor in attracting and retaining talent – but only 25 per cent were actively training their teams to use it.
“The transformative potential that AI offers accounting businesses is too great to ignore. And at the same time, the potential implications of not giving it the attention it deserves is equally too great to ignore … firms lagging in AI adoption risk not just falling behind, but also devaluing their business in an increasingly tech-savvy marketplace,” it said.
The survey, consisting of responses from 595 accounting professionals, found that underinvestment was more common in smaller firms that employed 1–20 people as well as larger firms with over 200 employees.
“As firm size increases, so does the investment into AI until you get to large firms of 200+ employees – then the trend comes to a halt,” it said.
Only 17 per cent of small firms invested in AI training, and while this number steadily increased upwards to 42 per cent for firms with 51–200 employees, it dropped by over half to 20 per cent for the biggest accounting firms.
Smaller firms, despite being more agile, were less likely to prioritise AI training and larger firms encountered complexities such as “hierarchical structures and strategic inertia”, impeding the adoption of new practices, it said.
On the other hand, mid-size firms with 21–50 employees reported a “noticeable uptick” in AI training, suggesting that they recognised its importance and were better poised to harness AI while maintaining their operational effectiveness.
“This discrepancy between interest and action is more than an oversight – it’s a strategic gap with far-reaching implications,” the report said.
The report recommended starting with “closing the current training and knowledge gap with exploration”, including encouraging employees to test and experiment with AI tools.
It said that AI currently plays a “backstage role” in most firms, with communication purposes being the most common use case.
Nearly 60 per cent of accountants surveyed used AI for tasks such as composing emails and fine-tuning their writing. However, there were more accountants not using AI at all (20 per cent) than those using it for accounting-specific functions like financial forecasting and analysis (11 per cent), client support (10 per cent), and tax preparation and audit (6 per cent).
The report also found a discrepancy in enthusiasm depending on an accountant’s role within a firm. Bookkeepers and other staff were almost three times as worried about AI replacing their jobs compared to higher-level partners and directors, it said.
“This disparity in concern highlights a crucial communication gap within the industry. There’s a need for clear, open dialogue about AI’s role – not as a replacement, but as a powerful tool that complements and elevates the human element in accounting.”
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