Will robots take my job? It’s the question on everyone’s minds, but something no one wants to discuss out loud, just in case they inadvertently speak it into reality. According to Beyond Agency, the risk of Artificial Intelligence (AI) takeover for Accountants and Bookkeepers has risen from 93% to 100% in the last year. The stat suggests that these roles as we know them won’t exist in a decade or two from now.
An enormous amount of my time at Zahara is spent writing copy, so trust me, I share your fears and I’ve been following the Chat GPT conversation closely. Here’s what I know:
Technology is going to hugely reshape working life as we know it, but it’s those who don’t get on board who are most at risk.
From a copywriting perspective, I know that AI can’t yet replicate my work without sounding like a robot (I wonder why). So, in that regard, there’s a need for my skill. What AI can do for me is help generate ideas for my writing far quicker than I could have done on my own. So, a human-robot hybrid helps me stay ahead of the curve by upping both my quality and quantity of work. By slashing the amount of time I would have spent generating content ideas, I can spend more time focussing on the actual copy, and in turn improve the quality of my writing overall. Technology will help me perform better, not make my role redundant.
The same logic can be applied to accounts payable.
There are certain tasks such as keying in invoices that automation technology can hugely speed up or eliminate. The elements of accounts payable that can’t be replicated by a robot are financial strategy (eg planning and reporting) and knowledge of your company’s business model and trajectory. It’s not about either carrying on with manual processes or handing over your job to a robot. It’s about what you make of the results that AI can give you. It should make your life and job easier, not eliminate it.
It’s unlikely that we will have jobs without a single element of AI as part of the role, unless you’re performing physical labour like cleaning or construction.
The chance of bookkeepers and accountants not using any software at all in the future is incredibly slim. However, people will still want financial advice, and to know that their finances are in a safe pair of human hands. You have the advantage of combining your empathy and resourcefulness with a little AI friend who will do the repetitive tasks for you.
You may think the safest thing you can do is bury your head in the sand and avoid technology altogether. I can tell you for a fact that AI isn’t going anywhere!
The most likely scenario is that you will simply use AI for your own gain, which is why it’s so important to stay up to date with current technology so you can stay one step ahead.
Your personhood is your most valuable possession, all you have to do is let AI help you perform that to your greatest potential.
If you’d like to find out how, get in touch with one of our experts. And feel free to complain about robots taking over in the comments, we’ve all got to stick together. 🤖
