What changes does AI bring to the accounting market?
Most entities using accounting services are small and medium-sized enterprises. Their budgetary capabilities are often heavily limited, so many tools that help with cheaper independent accounting come to the rescue. More and more of them offer AI-based features that help users run accounting without specialized knowledge of accountants themselves.
With the development of AI systems, the accounting industry undergoes dynamic changes. Many accountants increasingly express concerns about job security. Not surprising, as a Goldman Sachs report states that AI technology could automate up to 300 million jobs worldwide. In today’s interview we asked the Systim expert how artificial intelligence affects the accounting industry and what role accountants will play in the near future.
Interview with Systim expert
The guest is an expert responsible for the invoicing program Systim, who daily observes how entrepreneurs, accounting firms and individuals running their own accounting use tools to automate document work. We will learn his perspective on current and upcoming technological changes and ways to ensure user safety.
FXMAG: How is artificial intelligence actually used in accounting today and which tasks can be accelerated by it?
Systim: The greatest potential is seen where work is repetitive and based on a large number of similar operations. It involves reading data from documents, organizing information, assigning it to appropriate categories, and detecting formal gaps. The system can analyze an invoice faster than a human, recognize fields that require correction or completion, and prepare data for further work.
This allows significant time savings, but it does not lead to full automation. Systim is not a program that will replace accountants, but one that will help them.
Accounting is not just about transcribing data from a document into a system. You also need to assess whether the document was recorded correctly, whether the method of settlement complies with current regulations, and for example, whether all tax reliefs applicable to that specific company, employee, or purchase have been included. The experience of accountants still has great value, so let’s not abandon it; instead, give them AI tools that facilitate their work and allow them to take on more clients.
FXMAG: Have you already introduced any AI features into Systim?
Systim: In our program we use AI tools whose main task is to verify the correctness of entered documents. AI features are already used for linking payments to documents and reading data via OCR, and we plan many more improvements. This is especially important for Systim users who use it as a self‑service accounting program.
We cannot yet talk about full automation, but the entire industry is moving in that direction. It is an opportunity for accountants, not a threat. Faster and easier work, fewer errors, and more clients.
Companies are currently competing in the number of AI features they introduce to their platforms. Don’t get caught up in these competitions; it is not only unproductive but also dangerous. Implementing AI tools in accounting must be based on quality, not quantity. Also, due to strict data protection rules that apply to the massive amounts of personal data in accounting.
FXMAG: Good that you mention this. How does your company approach protecting users’ personal data? What other risks are associated with using AI in this industry?
Systim: In AI features, as in our entire system, we use the proprietary WASP security system. We constantly improve it and work only with certified data storage centers. All data is also encrypted with SSL technology. User security is one of our top priorities. We introduced two‑factor verification, role‑based permission assignment, and regular backups. Regarding risks, beyond our safeguards, the issue of user responsibility remains.
FXMAG: What is that responsibility?
A common argument against AI use is excessive trust. No system is perfect; mistakes happen, though increasingly rarely. If a user believes the technology “knows better” and stops verifying its answers, it is easy to repeat the error in the future. One misidentified line on an invoice, an incorrectly assigned rate, or a wrong cost classification can then pass through the entire process without suspicion until it reaches a government official or external partner for verification.
For a long time, the world, not just Poland, will struggle with the issue of holding AI legally accountable. It is an incredibly complex issue, so with all legal, reputational, and financial risks, the user still bears responsibility, even if the error was not their fault.
In Systim, we use machine learning in the verification process; the user corrects data, creating new learning rules for the system. Thus the same previously common errors do not appear in the future.
FXMAG: I understand, let’s return to the question from the beginning of our interview. Will AI take away jobs from accountants?
Systim: In short: no. A more realistic scenario is a change in the accountant’s role to process controller and business advisor. Eurostat data show that demand for specialists who can interpret financial results is rising, while demand for simple administrative work is falling.
Greater importance is placed on the ability to work with systems and the ability to assess when technology works correctly and when it requires human intervention. In the current legal situation in Poland and worldwide, AI cannot yet be held legally responsible, so it will remain the domain of a human specialist for some time. From our side, we can continue to develop and implement technologies that will save time for accounting experts, not limit their agency.
Technology speeds up accounting, but does not take over responsibility
The conversation paints a fairly optimistic picture of upcoming changes for the accounting industry. AI and automation can relieve accountants where work is based on repetitive data, patterns, and large volumes of documents. However, they do not replace assessment, experience, and responsibility for the final settlement outcome.
The biggest advantage will likely go to firms that treat AI not as an independent accountant but as a tool that organizes the process. In accounting, speed matters only when paired with control. Therefore the industry’s future does not have to mean the disappearance of accountants, but a shift of their work closer to analysis, oversight, and decisions that cannot be safely delegated to an algorithm alone.
