6 answers
Yvette
Student
Santa Clara, California
1
Question
Asked
1465 views
Hi I would like to ask a professional in accounting regarding AI tools and aquiring AI skills for the job market in accounting. Do you feel this is now needed, as I have seen jobs now where they mention AI for accounting jobs, and also what specific AI skills do you recommend, such as prompt engineering, working with chatbots,?
My career is in payroll, accounting and human resources. I see AI being included in job descriptions and wanted to ask about AI skills
6 answers
Dinesh Singh
Senior Solution Architect
80
Answers
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Updated
Dinesh’s Answer
Hi,
AI is becoming very important in accounting, but you don’t need to be a programmer or data scientist. Employers are looking for accountants who can use AI and data tools to work more efficiently and provide better insights.
You can focus on building these skills:
Strong data and Excel skills – Learn advanced Excel (Power Query, PivotTables) and understand how to analyze and interpret data.
Data visualization tools – Get familiar with tools like Power BI or Tableau to create dashboards and financial reports.
Basic SQL – Learn how to pull and work with data from databases.
Generative AI tools – Practice using tools like ChatGPT or Copilot for research, summarizing financial information, and drafting reports.
Automation mindset – Understand how processes like reconciliations or invoice processing can be automated using tools like Power Automate or RPA software.
AI awareness and ethics – Learn the risks of AI, including data privacy, compliance, and internal controls—especially important in accounting.
The goal is not to build AI models, but to become an accountant who knows how to use AI responsibly to improve accuracy, efficiency, and decision-making.
AI is becoming very important in accounting, but you don’t need to be a programmer or data scientist. Employers are looking for accountants who can use AI and data tools to work more efficiently and provide better insights.
You can focus on building these skills:
Strong data and Excel skills – Learn advanced Excel (Power Query, PivotTables) and understand how to analyze and interpret data.
Data visualization tools – Get familiar with tools like Power BI or Tableau to create dashboards and financial reports.
Basic SQL – Learn how to pull and work with data from databases.
Generative AI tools – Practice using tools like ChatGPT or Copilot for research, summarizing financial information, and drafting reports.
Automation mindset – Understand how processes like reconciliations or invoice processing can be automated using tools like Power Automate or RPA software.
AI awareness and ethics – Learn the risks of AI, including data privacy, compliance, and internal controls—especially important in accounting.
The goal is not to build AI models, but to become an accountant who knows how to use AI responsibly to improve accuracy, efficiency, and decision-making.
Dr Fisch
Flight Attendant
85
Answers
Denver, Colorado
Updated
Dr’s Answer
Well, I hope a professional accountant chimes in here to give their perspective, but I can speak on behalf of Ai in general. I've been an on-and-off software developer for about 30 years. I know there is a lot of hype about AI and how they'll replace many jobs people have today.
What AI is particularly good at is logic and math, following procedures, as you would expect from something that essentially runs on code under the hood. Accounting is definitely a field that AI will influence in big ways.
While AI tools will be able to manipulate large amounts of data, an accountant's job will become more of a supervisor or manager of the AI tools. The accountant will verify that the AI's outcomes are correct and assign what tasks it should perform.
So becoming familiar with AI will be a necessity skill for future accountants. You won't need to program AI language models or get very tech geeky with code or anything like that. The skills will be more like understanding what accounting AI tools are out there, their benefits and limitations, and how to incorporate them into your accounting process. Accountant's already use & rely on software to do their jobs and AI will slowly become more integrated into this current software rather than be a separate program.
Best of luck to you!
What AI is particularly good at is logic and math, following procedures, as you would expect from something that essentially runs on code under the hood. Accounting is definitely a field that AI will influence in big ways.
While AI tools will be able to manipulate large amounts of data, an accountant's job will become more of a supervisor or manager of the AI tools. The accountant will verify that the AI's outcomes are correct and assign what tasks it should perform.
So becoming familiar with AI will be a necessity skill for future accountants. You won't need to program AI language models or get very tech geeky with code or anything like that. The skills will be more like understanding what accounting AI tools are out there, their benefits and limitations, and how to incorporate them into your accounting process. Accountant's already use & rely on software to do their jobs and AI will slowly become more integrated into this current software rather than be a separate program.
Best of luck to you!
Thank you for commenting on this. Yes, I do see the AI tools as being very useful and also added into job descriptions. I wondered what specific tools one would need to train on and if anyone has seen these added to the accounting job descriptions like I am seeing or being added into their daily work.
Yvette
Vianne Phan
Youth Development Teacher
316
Answers
San Diego, California
Updated
Vianne’s Answer
I'm not in this field, but I've heard from folks in accounting and business that AI skills are becoming more important, especially in payroll, accounting, and HR. Employers don't expect you to be an AI expert or programmer, but they do want you to be comfortable using AI tools to work more efficiently. Many companies are adding AI to job descriptions because automation is becoming a regular part of work, not because the basic skills in accounting are changing.
The most useful AI skills right now are practical ones. Knowing how to use AI tools to summarize reports, draft emails, analyze spreadsheets, or help with documentation is more valuable than technical skills. It's important to ask clear questions, check AI outputs carefully, and know when human judgment is needed, especially in accounting where accuracy is crucial. Being familiar with AI features in software like Excel, accounting platforms, or HR systems is also a big plus.
Your background in payroll, accounting, and HR is actually a great fit because AI is mostly used to support these roles, not replace them. Learning how AI can help with organizing data, reporting, and automating tasks could make you more competitive without changing careers. A good way to start is by trying out AI tools for everyday tasks, focusing on how they can save time while maintaining strong oversight and professional judgment.
The most useful AI skills right now are practical ones. Knowing how to use AI tools to summarize reports, draft emails, analyze spreadsheets, or help with documentation is more valuable than technical skills. It's important to ask clear questions, check AI outputs carefully, and know when human judgment is needed, especially in accounting where accuracy is crucial. Being familiar with AI features in software like Excel, accounting platforms, or HR systems is also a big plus.
Your background in payroll, accounting, and HR is actually a great fit because AI is mostly used to support these roles, not replace them. Learning how AI can help with organizing data, reporting, and automating tasks could make you more competitive without changing careers. A good way to start is by trying out AI tools for everyday tasks, focusing on how they can save time while maintaining strong oversight and professional judgment.
Thank you everyone for posting your answers. These are so great and helpful, I have been seeing AI Tools added in the job descriptions when searching for accounting roles now and wondered what AI tools were needed. I do have Excel skills and other software skills related to accounting and payroll for analytics such as Business Intelligence. Yvette
Yvette
Steven Graham
Chief Accounting Officer, Corporate Controller, VP Finance
29
Answers
Boynton Beach, Florida
Updated
Steven’s Answer
Yvette,
The previous responses are correct. It's a bit of a tricky situation because to learn the tool, you often need to be in a position where it's necessary. If your current company isn't using or planning to use AI, you might think about joining a company that does.
As a follow up, please see the March Journal of Accountancy for great articles about what the expections are for AI and the accounting industry and how studies should be adapted to/focused on to meet the trends.
I hope this helps.
The previous responses are correct. It's a bit of a tricky situation because to learn the tool, you often need to be in a position where it's necessary. If your current company isn't using or planning to use AI, you might think about joining a company that does.
As a follow up, please see the March Journal of Accountancy for great articles about what the expections are for AI and the accounting industry and how studies should be adapted to/focused on to meet the trends.
I hope this helps.
Anne Wong
Software Development
8
Answers
Redwood City, California
Updated
Anne’s Answer
After graduating with a degree in Computer Science, I found an opportunity to work on finance and accounting software. While I had the technical background, I needed domain knowledge in finance and accounting to succeed in the role.
To bridge that gap, I used AI tools like ChatGPT to build a strong foundational understanding of finance concepts, accounting principles, and industry terminology. That helped me ramp up quickly and perform confidently in my job. I’m happy to say I’ve now been working at my company for several years.
One major lesson I’ve learned is that AI is no longer optional — it’s a core skill. It’s hard to imagine a field where AI can’t add value. It’s not enough to simply know how to use AI tools in general; it’s critical to understand how to apply AI effectively within your specific career path. When used intentionally, AI can accelerate learning, improve productivity, and help you grow faster in your profession.
To bridge that gap, I used AI tools like ChatGPT to build a strong foundational understanding of finance concepts, accounting principles, and industry terminology. That helped me ramp up quickly and perform confidently in my job. I’m happy to say I’ve now been working at my company for several years.
One major lesson I’ve learned is that AI is no longer optional — it’s a core skill. It’s hard to imagine a field where AI can’t add value. It’s not enough to simply know how to use AI tools in general; it’s critical to understand how to apply AI effectively within your specific career path. When used intentionally, AI can accelerate learning, improve productivity, and help you grow faster in your profession.
David Markowitz
Audit and Assurance Senior Consultant
18
Answers
Tarrytown, New York
Updated
David’s Answer
I work in accounting/audit and use of ai is a tricky topic. What ai is allowed to be used for is quite specific, as client data can never be entered into ai in my role (and likely most others). So i don't think you need to master ai, however, there are scenarios where you can leverage ai to make your life easier, and reduce some of the other skills you need to develop. a perfect example of this is Excel, I came into my job in between beginner and intermediate with my Excel skills, and probably am now more intermediate, but when leveraging ai I am able to work much faster and at a more advanced level. So i think it is good to get some experience with ai and have some fundamental knowledge on how to prompt it to get responses that you are looking for, but no need to try to master it. additionally, most companies that allow you to use it will also have many mandatory trainings discussing the permissibility of using it, and optional trainings to help you be effective when using it, so you will have opportunities to learn more on the job.
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