iscoverSuccessful accounting firms invest in staff development while also enjoying the productivity gains from AI.
Developing staff knowledge in the age of AI
04 November 2025
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5 minute read
AI is accelerating routine accounting work—from document intake to first-draft workpapers—creating real gains in speed and consistency. But there's a fine line between using AI to lift productivity and letting it hollow out the profession. If firms automate the low-level tasks that once trained juniors, they risk losing the apprenticeship ladder that builds future reviewers and advisors. The traditional training ground—bank recs, tie-outs, variance notes, first-pass memos—taught more than mechanics. It built scepticism, pattern recognition, and judgment. If bots do all of that, how will new accountants learn to spot a miscode, challenge a revenue cutoff or navigate a PSI edge case? Remove the rungs, and fewer people reach the level where clients rely on human judgment.
Protecting the ability to think
The danger isn't just lost time but lost intellectual muscle. The repetitive tasks, though simple, are the building blocks that lead to deep financial fluency. By performing and reviewing these entries, juniors learn the why behind the transaction, developing the contextual awareness crucial for complex decision-making. Firms must ensure their redesigned workflows intentionally incorporate a structured learning component where accountants still test, think, and conclude. This preserves the essential link between routine work and the development of expert judgment and professional scepticism. For clients, trust in human judgment is still paramount. Ian Youngman, Managing Director and co-founder of Elf Works, understands the limits of AI in the accounting profession. "AI can prepare, reconcile and draft, but only humans can weigh context, risk and ethics; judgment calls belong to accountants, not algorithms" says Youngman.
Weighing Context, Risk, and Ethics
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The algorithm can process data, but it lacks the qualitative filters necessary for true professional advice. Context is the commercial and strategic reality—the impending merger, the key client relationship, or the market shift—that changes how a number is interpreted. Risk assessment requires an understanding of potential future harm, not just historical data; this includes assessing litigation exposure, reputational damage, or systemic failure that AI models may not flag. Most critically, ethics demands applying professional standards and moral principles, such as maintaining independence or advising against aggressive tax positions, even if those positions are technically feasible. These layers of qualitative human consideration ensure the advice is sound, compliant, and ultimately, responsible.
Elfworks other co-founder, James McPhedran, has a similar view: "When the rules turn grey—ATO nuance, materiality and commercial reality—AI can inform the decision, but a qualified human must make it."
The fine line is this: AI can be used to expand capability however it must also be harnessed to build staff capabilities. Leading firms are redesigning workflows so accountants still think, test and conclude and AI platforms will need to treat the need for productivity gains and staff development as two sides of the same coin.
The Path Forward
If you would like to trial a platform for Australian accountants in public practice that develops staff knowledge as it helps with research, advice drafting and various routine tasks, contact
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