Artificial Intelligence, Professional Judgment and the Future of the FinOp
Elizabeth M. Attanasio, CPA, Partner, Accounting and Compliance International
It came as no surprise that artificial intelligence was a hot topic at the recent FINRA conference. From Wall Street to Washington, everyone seems to be asking the same question: Is AI coming for our jobs?
The answer may be yes. Apparently, no profession is entirely off the table.
According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, approximately 92 million jobs worldwide are projected to be displaced by 2030 as technology and other forces reshape the workforce. Among the occupations expected to decline are administrative assistants, bank tellers, cashiers and, yes, accountants and auditors.
Wait. Accountants?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) sees a different trend at home, projecting that employment of accountants and auditors will grow 5% from 2025 to 2035. Routine tasks may get automated, but BLS doesn’t expect overall demand to fall. Instead, it expects advisory and analytical work to become more prominent.
Perhaps the better question is which accounting tasks AI will take over — and what makes an experienced professional indispensable.
Meet Sage, My Very Smart, Occasionally Wrong Assistant
I’ve spent more than 25 years in the broker-dealer industry, including years as a PCAOB auditor and Financial and Operations Principal (FinOp), and I’ve seen technology dramatically change the way we operate.
But AI is different.
I use it so regularly that I’ve given mine a name: Sage.
Sage is fast, articulate and resourceful, and can produce an impressive regulatory memorandum in seconds.
And sometimes Sage is completely wrong.
To be fair, AI can analyze a trial balance, calculate net capital, summarize SEC regulations, review agreements and draft regulatory correspondence. It can process information faster than I ever could.
Here’s the catch: A beautifully written answer can still be wrong, and knowing the rule is not the same as knowing how to apply it.
AI Doesn’t Get Goosebumps
Early in my auditing career, I learned something that no textbook could teach me.
Sometimes the numbers balance. The documentation looks right. Management’s explanation sounds perfectly reasonable. But something just doesn’t feel right.
That instinct develops over years of examinations, audits, complicated transactions and difficult conversations. You get goosebumps, and you know you need to ask one more question.
AI can identify an aged receivable, but an experienced FinOp must assess whether the underlying agreement supports collectibility. AI can calculate net capital, but the FinOp must judge whether management’s interpretation of a liability reflects the economic substance of the transaction. AI can review revenue recognition guidance, but the FinOp must resolve conflicting facts about whether a transaction truly closed.
AI can help with those analyses, but the professional responsibility still ultimately lies with the FinOp.
Experience means knowing when to question the answer. And in our industry, that can be the difference between regulatory compliance and a significant examination finding.
AI Won’t Be in the Room
AI can produce an answer based on the information it receives. But what happens when that information is incomplete, when the facts don’t support management’s conclusion or when the technically convenient answer isn’t the correct one?
Ask Sage to support a position, and it will usually build a polished case for it. It won’t stop to ask whether the position is right unless I tell it to.
That’s where professional judgment takes over.
And when FINRA or the SEC comes calling, AI isn’t sitting across from the examiner defending the firm’s accounting treatment. The FinOp is.
AI doesn’t hold a Series 27 registration. It doesn’t accept regulatory responsibility. It doesn’t put its professional reputation on the line.
There’s a fundamental difference between generating an answer and being held accountable for it.
The Future Isn’t AI Versus the FinOp
I am not anti-AI. Quite the opposite.
I believe AI represents one of the greatest opportunities our profession has seen in decades. Used appropriately, it can reduce repetitive work, improve efficiency, identify potential risks and give experienced professionals more time to focus on the judgment calls that matter.
But efficiency should never be confused with oversight.
The future FinOp will absolutely use AI. The most effective FinOps will know how to get the most from it while maintaining the independence, skepticism and judgment our profession demands.
Technology may change how we do our jobs, but not the responsibility to do them correctly.
At ACI, We’re Part of the Conversation
At ACI, staying ahead of regulatory change has always been central to who we are. Through FINRA conferences, industry committees and ongoing conversations with industry professionals, we’re actively engaged in what AI means for the broker-dealer community. That goes well beyond whether AI can make accounting faster.
How will regulators approach AI-generated financial information? Who remains accountable when technology gets something wrong? And how should broker-dealers prepare for a regulatory environment that will inevitably evolve alongside the technology?
Our job at ACI is not simply to keep our clients compliant today. It’s to help them anticipate tomorrow. We believe firms that embrace innovation while maintaining strong financial and regulatory oversight will be better positioned to navigate the changes ahead.
So, Can AI Take My Job?
At certain tasks? Absolutely. It can research faster, draft faster and process information faster than I can. And I welcome that.
But after 25 years in this industry, I’ve learned the numbers don’t always tell the whole story. The most valuable part of my job is knowing when they don’t.
That means asking uncomfortable questions and challenging convenient explanations.
AI can do much of my work, but it can’t replace my experience, independence and accountability.
And until Sage develops the ability to get goosebumps when something doesn’t look right, I think my job is safe.
The bigger question is how AI will change your firm’s future, and whether you’re prepared for it.
At ACI, we’re already having that conversation. Reach out if you’d like to join in.
Sources:
- World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Report 2025; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, Accountants and Auditors