Most of the people in the 21st century are using AI in their day-to-day activities without even knowing. It may start with unlocking your phone using facial recognition and ends with asking Alexa (Virtual Assistant) to switch off the lights of the room. AI is a term that is used to describe a range of technologies and techniques. This refers to a computer’s or a computer-controlled robot’s capacity to execute activities that need human intelligence.
John McCarthy at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire coined the term “Artificial Intelligence” in 1956. However, the idea of machines being able to imitate intelligent human behaviour has been around for centuries.
Further, AI has made a considerable impact on Accounting, particularly in terms of improving the quality of accounting tasks. According to The Journal of Accountancy (2017), 80% of executives believe that using AI will help them to gain a competitive advantage and 79% consider AI will enhance the productivity. As AI and accounting are both developing fields, there will be more and more AI-related applications in the field of accounting as time goes on.
80%
Executives believe that using AI will help them to gain a competitive advantage
79%
Executives consider AI will enhance productivity
Use of AI in Accounting
1. Payroll with AI
Currently, Payroll and HR-related functions are moving from traditional methods of working to ways that are more efficient with the intervention of AI. AI will reduce human errors while complying with the rules and regulations of the companies. The Payroll function is complex and requires a lot of working hours because it has to deal with a massive amount of data within a certain period. Usually, the outcome will be reached after concerning timesheets, employee deductions, tax rates, leaves, incentive payments etc. AI technologies create a seamless, error-free and efficient payroll system by automating data processing and detecting irregularities.
2. Invoicing with AI
Invoicing is a repetitive task, which requires a lot of time. Employees are prone to make errors when engaging in such tedious tasks. Most companies use fully automated invoicing processes or semi-automated ones. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) plays a vital role in the process of scanning and identifying relevant information from invoices. Companies have to use the most advanced AI tools to extract information from the invoices since invoices differ from one supplier to another. Further, AI can be used to generate invoices as well. (to enter basic information)
3. Reconciling with AI
Reconciling is all about comparing two accounts to get matching figures for the compared items. AI has changed the traditional methods of reconciling by replacing them with more efficient, time-saving and accurate methods. According to Nanonets, the manual payment reconciliation process is associated with 0.8% – 1.8% of human error risk. This statistic will increase the demand for using AI techniques for all sorts of reconciliations (bank, vendor or customer) AI offers exact matching techniques while integrating with your existing accounting software.
4. Tax preparation with AI
Artificial Intelligence is moving towards a new dimension by connecting with the tax preparation process. AI is especially used to detect tax frauds, thefts and illegal processes like money laundering. According to the How AI and Robotics Can Change Taxation (Forbes) article, AI can be used to scan documents, extract key elements from the documents, identify tax credits, and make accurate forecasts on tax payments.
5. Improving the quality of audits with AI
AI helps auditors to perform more quality internal, external and compliance audits. AI tools will detect anomalies, analyse a large amount of data and predict future risks. According to The Data-Driven Audit: How Automation and AI are Changing the Audit and the Role of the Auditor report, AI can be used to extract information from financial statements, identify inconsistencies between the income statement and balance sheet, review customer complaints, emails, board meetings, contracts etc. (AI tools will read and summarize essential parts of the contracts).
Further, AI will simplify fieldwork by facilitating inventory counts with AI-based apps, identifying duplicates and unusual spending patterns. However, remember these AI tools have their pros and cons.
Advantages of using AI in Accounting
1. Automate processes and perform repetitive tasks
AI has automated manual accounting tasks to some extent. Currently, it has taken over mundane tasks like invoicing, recording and entering data into spreadsheets to create customized reports. Accountants and bookkeepers can focus more on decision-making and utilize their critical thinking abilities for the betterment of the organizations rather than performing monotonous tasks.
2. 24/7 availability
This can be recognized as one of the major advantages of using AI in accounting. AI won’t be limited to office working hours and it will be available at any time with the same level of performance.
3. Reduce human-generated errors
As we all know, humans are tend to mistakes like omission, duplication, and miscalculation. Properly programmed AI tools can handle these issues since they operate flawlessly.
AI with XERO, QB Online, Excel
AI and Future of Accountants
In the field of accounting, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more prevalent. However, AI will not take over or replace the role of accountants with its current capabilities. Even though there is no threat of losing jobs in the near future, accountants must continue to invest in their skills, particularly those related to technology. According to Sage’s The Practice for Now 2020, report, 20% and 21% of accountants are investing in or adopting AI and Robotic Process Automation respectively.