AI-Native Accounting

What if the biggest opportunity for AI in accounting isn't efficiency, but fundamentally reinventing how accounting firms operate and how accountants create value?

In this episode of AI Native Accounting, I sit down with Paul Peterson, CEO of Wiss, a Top 100 accounting firm, to explore why AI transformation in accounting is unlike any technology shift the profession has experienced before.

Through Wiss Labs, the firm's innovation arm, Paul and his team have evaluated hundreds of technology solutions, partnered with emerging AI companies, and rethought everything from internal operations to client advisory services.

But the biggest challenges aren't necessarily technological. They're organizational, cultural, and deeply personal.Paul shares the lessons Wiss has learned navigating employee uncertainty, evaluating AI investments, and preparing clients for an AI-native future.

We also challenge the industry's obsession with efficiency and explore why the true ROI of AI may come from better decision-making, greater competitiveness, and finally recognizing the value accountants bring to businesses.

In this episode, we discuss:

📍 Why AI in accounting is more disruptive than the cloud revolution

📍 How Wiss Labs evaluates hundreds of AI solutions and identifies technologies worth investing in

📍 Why employee fear, professional identity, and organizational culture are critical to AI adoption

📍 How accounting firms should decide whether to build, buy, or partner for AI technology

📍 Why data quality, process standardization, and organizational readiness matter more than access to AI models📍 The hidden costs of AI implementation and why ROI may take longer than expected

📍 How accounting firms can help CFOs and business owners prepare for AI transformation

📍 Why efficiency is just the consolation prize when it comes to AI's real potential

📍 How AI could elevate the accounting profession and change how accountants are valued

Whether you're a CPA, accounting firm owner, managing partner, CFO, or finance leader navigating AI adoption, this conversation offers a candid look at what it takes to transform an established accounting firm and prepare for a future where AI changes far more than the way work gets done.

Learn more:

🔗 Wiss: https://wiss.com

🔗 Wiss Labs: https://wiss.com/wisslabs/

🔗 Paul Peterson's articles: https://wiss.com/wisslabs/the-intelligent-ledger/

🔗 Digits: https://digits.com

🔗 AI Native Accounting podcast: https://digits.com/ai-native-accounting/

Connect with:

🔗 Kacee Johnson — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kacee-johnson/

🔗 Paul Peterson — CEO, Wiss — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ppeterson1

🔗 AI Native Accounting Foundation — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ai-native-accounting-foundation/

🔗 Wiss — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wissllp/

🔗 Digits — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digits-financial/

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction: Why AI in Accounting Is Different

01:03 Meet Paul Peterson, CEO of Wiss

02:40 Why AI Is More Disruptive Than the Cloud

04:07 Managing Employee Fear and Organizational Change

07:58 How AI Challenges Professional Identity

09:17 Inside Wiss Labs: Building an Innovation Engine

13:02 Partnering With AI Startups to Transform Accounting

14:52 How Wiss Evaluates Hundreds of AI Technologies

17:18 The Three Criteria for Evaluating AI Solutions

21:03 Why AI in Accounting Goes Beyond ChatGPT

23:58 Build, Buy, or Partner? Making the Right AI Investment

26:11 The Hidden Risks of Building AI Tools Internally

27:48 Why Efficiency Is the Consolation Prize

28:23 Data Quality, Process Discipline, and AI Readiness

30:12 Helping Clients Prepare for AI Adoption

31:59 How CFOs and Business Owners Are Responding to AI

35:41 Measuring the True ROI of AI in Accounting

39:05 Leadership Lessons and the Need for an AI Visionary

42:39 Why Accountants Are the Underdogs Worth Rooting For

45:12 Final Thoughts: Redefining the Value of Accounting

What if the biggest impact of AI in accounting isn't replacing accountants, but making the profession more human?

In this episode of AI Native Accounting, I sit down with Jen Leary, CEO of CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen), to explore how one of the nation's largest accounting firms is rethinking technology, client advisory services, and the future of professional accounting.

CLA serves more than 200,000 clients and has built what Jen describes as the country's largest client advisory services (CAS) practice. Now, through a strategic collaboration with Digits, the firm is developing proprietary AI capabilities designed to eliminate repetitive data entry, accelerate financial reporting, and give advisors more time to deliver meaningful insights.

But Jen is refreshingly candid about the journey. CLA didn't get everything right, especially when building its CAS practice. And she believes that human relationships, expertise, and judgment will become even more valuable as AI advances.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why CLA wants to eliminate repetitive data entry across the firm

• How the CLA and Digits partnership could reshape AI in accounting

• The mistakes CLA made while scaling its CAS practice

• Why proprietary AI models and industry-specific knowledge matter

• How faster financial reporting could transform client advisory services

• Why successful accounting firms must rethink their technology, staffing, and delivery models

• How Jen's approach to leadership has evolved

• Why she believes the defining word for the next decade of accounting is "human"

Whether you're a CPA, accounting firm owner, managing partner, or financial advisor navigating AI adoption, this conversation offers a practical look at what it takes to build an AI-enabled accounting firm without losing the human relationships that make advisory valuable.

Learn more:CLA: https://www.claconnect.comDigits: https://digits.comAI Native Accounting podcast: https://digits.com/ai-native-accounting/

Connect with:

🔗 Kacee Johnson — LinkedIn:   / kacee-johnson  

🔗 Jen Leary - CEO, CLA - Linkedin: /jen-leary

🔗 AI Native Accounting Foundation — LinkedIn:   / ai-native-accounting-foundation  

 🔗 Digits-   / digits-financial    

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction: Why the Future of Accounting Is Human

01:06 Meet Jen Leary, CEO of CLA

02:11 How CLA Has Evolved Beyond Traditional Accounting

03:38 What Business Owners Need From Advisors Today

05:09 CLA's AI Partnership With Digits

07:15 Build, Buy, Partner, or Orchestrate?

10:40 Why CLA Wants to Eliminate Data Entry

12:01 How AI Will Change the Client Experience

14:13 Lessons From Building CLA's CAS Practice

16:42 Why Human Relationships Matter More Than Ever

19:21 CLA's 92% Client Retention Rate

20:27 Jen's Biggest Leadership Lesson

21:43 Advice to the Next Generation

23:09 Why the Future of Accounting Is Human

24:30 Final Thoughts

AI is dramatically changing how accounting and assurance work gets done. But if technology cuts the time required to deliver an engagement in half, should the client pay half as much?

In this episode of the AI Native Accounting Podcast, Kacee Johnson sits down with Jin Chang, Co-Founder of FieldGuide, and Danny Manimbo, Managing Principal at Schellman, for a live conversation at FieldGuide’s Catalyst Conference about one of the most complicated pieces of AI transformation: the price of intelligence.

As firms deploy AI and gain significant efficiencies, traditional pricing models built around human hours are beginning to collide with a new reality. FieldGuide research shows firms are experimenting with value-based and outcome-based pricing, but many are still operating across multiple pricing models as they search for the right approach.

The conversation examines why pricing may be the “last mile” of AI transformation, why firms shouldn’t automatically translate AI-driven efficiency into lower fees, and how leaders can shift the conversation from hours worked to value delivered.

Jin and Danny also explore a much larger opportunity. Rather than using AI simply to do the same work with fewer people, firms can use the capacity AI creates to deliver deeper insights, expand services, improve quality, and address entirely new client needs. In assurance, that could eventually mean moving beyond traditional sampling toward more comprehensive testing, continuous auditing, and higher levels of assurance.

But speed alone isn’t the goal. As low-cost, AI-enabled providers enter the market, the pressure to deliver faster and cheaper raises important questions about quality, trust, and what clients are actually paying for.

And as AI becomes more visible in the delivery of professional services, transparency may become a competitive advantage. Clients are already asking firms how they use AI. Rather than avoiding the conversation, firms have an opportunity to explain how AI enables better consistency, deeper insights, faster delivery, and greater value—while also clearly communicating how client data is protected.

Additional topics include:

• Value-based and outcome-based pricing

• Why AI efficiency doesn’t automatically justify lower fees

• Continuous auditing and the future of assurance

• Moving beyond human-capacity constraints

• AI costs and resource tracking

• Subscription and predictable pricing models

• Creating capacity for new advisory services

• How firms can prioritize AI transformation

• The danger of low-cost “SOC 2 mills”

• AI transparency and client trust

• Positioning AI as value rather than cost reduction

• Why the firms that innovate early may create entirely new service opportunities

For accounting and assurance firm leaders, technology providers, partners, and professionals trying to rethink their business models for an AI-native future, this conversation offers a practical look at a fundamental shift already underway: clients aren’t paying for your time—they’re paying for the expertise, trust, and outcomes you deliver.

Connect with:

1. Kacee Johnson — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kacee-johnson/

2. Jin Chang, Co-Founder & CEO of FieldGuide — LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jinwchang/

3. Danny Manimbo, Managing Principal at Schellman — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-manimbo-2b199718/

4. FieldGuide — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fieldguide/

5. Schellman — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/schellman/

6. AI Native Accounting Foundation — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ai-native-accounting-foundation/

7.  Digits-  https://linkedin.com/in/digits-financial  

AI in tax is advancing at a staggering pace, but are tax professionals moving too fast to understand the risks?

In this episode of the AI Native Accounting podcast, Kacee Johnson sat down with Danny Werfel, former Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service and current Executive in Residence at the Johns Hopkins University School of Government and Policy, to talk about what responsible AI adoption should look like across the tax profession.

Werfel recently developed an AI risk framework for tax authorities and tax preparers to help organizations evaluate AI systems before deployment. The conversation examines why extraordinary productivity gains should not automatically mean removing people from the process; how firms can more rigorously evaluate AI vendors; and why accuracy, auditability, transparency, and governance must remain central to AI risk management.

The discussion also considers a significant long-term risk: the erosion of human expertise. As AI agents begin performing work traditionally handled by junior accountants and tax professionals, the profession must determine how the next generation will build the knowledge and judgment required to supervise those systems effectively.

Werfel makes the case that AI should sit beside the tax professional, not take their chair.

Additional topics include: 

• AI hallucinations

• human-in-the-loop systems

• client trust

• AI pricing and billing

• and the opportunity for the tax profession to become a model for responsible AI adoption.

For accountants, tax professionals, firm leaders, technology providers, and anyone seeking to understand how AI will reshape the profession, this conversation offers an important counterweight to the race for maximum automation.

Link to Danny’s AI Risk Framework: https://www.thetaxadviser.com/issues/2026/aug/a-risk-framework-for-ai-use-in-tax-administration-and-preparation/ 

Connect with us here:

• Danny Werfel
• Kacee Johnson⁠⁠
• ⁠Digits
• AI Native Accounting Foundation

The biggest challenge facing accounting firms isn't learning AI.

It's helping junior accountants build six years of business acumen in a fraction of the time.

Former AICPA CEO Barry Melancon discusses the future of the profession, from AI-powered audits and changing business models to why providing assurance to clients will become even more valuable.

Connect with us here:

1. Barry Melancon

2. Kacee Johnson

3. Digits

"We can't go out and just upload tax returns to ChatGPT because it's gonna be faster."

Barry Brown, founder of EBITDA Advisors, joins Kacee Johnson and Bebe Kim to explain why the future belongs to firms that adopt AI deliberately, not recklessly.

Looking at firms of every size, they break down why AI adoption and AI results are turning out to be two very different things.

Connect with us here:

• Barry Brown

• Bebe Kim

• Kacee Johnson

• Digits

Were we wrong about how AI would change work?

Pascal Finette, Co-Founder & Chief Heretic of radical, joins Kacee Johnson to explore why AI is impacting cognitive work faster than routine work and what that means for organizations trying to adapt.

They also discuss why employees still hesitate to trust AI systems and why the ability to outlearn competitors may become more important than the technology itself.

Connect with us here:

1. Pascal Finette

2. Kacee Johnson

3. Digits

(00:00) Trailer

(00:52) Introduction

(01:40) What everyone got wrong about AI five years ago

(03:23) Why AI adoption is still so low

(06:30) The trust gap between executives and frontline workers

(11:11) The Outlearn book and learning faster than the world changes

(16:11) Engineering failure for accounting firms

(19:41) AI will force the shift to value-based billing

(26:28) Fintech will deliver insights before you do

(33:41) How leaders should talk about failure

(39:31) Lightning round

(42:32) Wrap-up

“You're not going to take an old process and fit it into a new tech box.”

Carla McCall believes the firms struggling most with AI are often the ones trying hardest to preserve the way they’ve always operated.

As Managing Partner of AAFCPAs and former Chair of the AICPA, Carla shares why firms need to rethink management habits, communication structures, and even how young professionals are trained in an AI-enabled world.

Tune in to hear how AAFCPAs scaled from $16M to nearly $80M by building a people-first culture.

Connect with us here:

1. Carla McCall- https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlamccallaaf/

2. Kacee Johnson- https://www.linkedin.com/in/kacee-johnson/

3. Digits- https://www.linkedin.com/company/digits-financial/

(00:00) Trailer

(01:11) Introduction

(03:22) The path to becoming managing partner

(05:17) Lessons from chairing the AICPA

(07:39) Launching work from anywhere

(09:22) What changed to make remote work successful

(12:33) Happy team members equal happy clients

(14:57) Organic growth without PE

(18:30) What to say to leaders pushing return to office

(22:42) What young talent actually wants from firms

(25:16) How AI is reshaping early career work

(27:23) Rolling out an enterprise-wide LLM

(32:51) Starting with agentic pilots in audit

(35:31) The highest value role for accountants going forward

(39:43) Lightning round

(41:23) Wrap-up

Most accounting firms are jumping into AI headfirst, buying tools, chasing models, and wondering why nothing is sticking.

Thomas DeMayo, AI lead at PKF O'Connor Davies, one of the top 20 accounting firms in the country, has a different approach entirely.

He breaks down why your knowledge layer has to come before any tool decision, what AI can and cannot do in audit, and why the billable hour is already on its way out.

If you're a firm leader trying to build an AI strategy that holds up over time, this one is worth your time.

Connect with us here:

• Thomas DeMayo

• Kacee Johnson

• AI Native Accounting

• Digits

• PFK O’Connor Davies

(00:00) Trailer

(01:08) Introduction

(03:16) From help desk to cyber security to AI leadership

(05:15) What architecture first means in practice

(08:35) Owning the data layer versus third-party tools

(10:36) The governance council and risk management

(13:23) Mistakes firms make chasing the hype

(15:52) Balancing innovation with technical controls

(17:15) Overcoming fear and resistance to AI adoption

(19:04) Use cases delivering real value

(22:42) AI in audit and regulatory sensitivity

(24:28) Training programs and AI champions

(26:02) How AI might change roles in firms

(28:05) The road map to agentic workflows

(28:54) Fee pressure and value-based billing

(30:17) Advice for smaller firms

(31:44) Lightning round

(34:23) Wrap-up

If AI can deliver the outputs, why would clients still pay for the accountant?

Allan Koltin, CEO of Koltin Consulting Group, joins Kacee Johnson to explore how accounting firms must evolve from service providers to value creators in a rapidly changing landscape.

They also explore:

• Why firms heavily dependent on compliance may see revenue decline

• Private equity is moving from large firms to mid-sized and even smaller firms

• Why the “talent shortage” may solve itself as the nature of work shifts

• Many firms are held back by partnership models that can’t make fast or tough decisions

Connect with us here:

1. Allan Koltin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/allan-koltin-24a8181/
2. Kacee Johnson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kacee-johnson/
3. AI Native Accounting Foundation - https://www.linkedin.com/company/ai-native-accounting-foundation/
4. Digits - https://www.linkedin.com/company/digits-financial/

(00:00) Trailer

(01:02) Introduction

(02:07) Structural forces reshaping the profession

(06:22) By 2030, accountants won't prepare returns

(10:45) AI and the repricing of compliance work

(17:13) How AI impacts firm valuations and deals

(22:24) Where the PE narrative has outpaced reality

(29:10) Organic growth without M&A

(34:36) The cross-selling mindset problem

(37:13) Culture and leadership as the differentiator

(41:50) Lightning round

(47:07) Wrap-up