The accounting profession is changing fast, and artificial intelligence is driving much of that change. Large firms are pouring billions of dollars into AI adoption, but the most important lessons from early adopters are not about scale or budget. They are about mindset and sequence.
Start by identifying one specific bottleneck in your workflow, not by shopping for tools. The firms seeing the greatest return from AI began with a problem, not a product. For a small tax practice, that problem might be the time spent drafting client correspondence, summarizing meeting notes, preparing organizers, or doing preliminary tax research. Pick one. Test an AI tool against it for 30 days and measure whether it actually saves time. If it does, expand from there. If it does not, move on.
For research tasks, tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or tax-specific platforms like Casetext or Bloomberg Tax are already being used by practitioners to surface relevant code sections, summarize regulatory guidance, and draft initial client explanations. These tools are not replacing professional judgment, but they are significantly reducing the time it takes to get to a starting point. Treat AI output on tax questions the way you would treat work from a capable but unlicensed assistant: useful as a draft, always requiring your review before it goes anywhere.
Document review and data extraction are another high-value entry point. Several tools can now pull structured data from source documents like W-2s, 1099s, and financial statements and populate workpapers or import-ready files. Crete Professionals Alliance, a firm network profiled in recent industry coverage, reported a 70 percent reduction in tax prep time using a tool that categorizes documents, extracts data, and generates draft returns. You do not need to build something proprietary to get similar results. Off-the-shelf tools in your existing tax software ecosystem may already offer this capability. The key is symbiotic options that talk to each other, much of which are available in options your firm may already be using.
On the governance side, before any AI tool touches client data, update your Written Information Security Plan to address AI specifically. Confirm in writing that the tool does not use your client data to train its underlying model. Restrict AI use to tools your firm has formally approved, and document that approval. This is not bureaucracy. It is your protection under IRC Section 7216 and your professional responsibility obligations.
When it comes to pricing, begin tracking the time AI saves you by task type. If a workflow that once took three hours now takes 45 minutes, that data is the foundation for a conversation about value-based or fixed-fee pricing. Several firms are already moving away from the billable hour in areas where AI has compressed delivery time, and clients in those firms are not paying less. They are paying for outcomes and expertise, not hours.
Finally, commit to one hour per month of structured learning about AI developments in the tax space. Read what your state society and the AICPA are publishing. Follow a few practitioners who are experimenting openly. You do not need to be an early adopter. You just need to stay close enough to move when the right opportunity is clear.
Dr. Christine Gervais is a licensed CPA, using her skills to help businesses grow and achieve their fullest potential. Christine has a Master’s degree in accounting from Southern New Hampshire University in addition to holding her CPA license for over a decade. Notably, Christine is a nationally recognized speaker providing education to other CPAs on how to best serve clients as well as instruction on a wide variety of topics for business owners on how to maximize success. Christine prides herself on the value she can bring to clients with her extensive tax knowledge and provides strategic, forward-thinking financial strategies to help clients grow. When not behind her desk, you can find Christine spending quality time with her daughter and stepson or tending to the family’s excessively loved farm animals.
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