AI in Accounting: What Will Define the Top Firms in 2027?

Five episodes. Five questions. One series.We started with the frame: 98% of firms are using AI, only 21% have a documented strategy, and that gap is where firms either differentiate or drift. We asked where AI is genuinely reshaping firm direction and what separates real transformation from surface adoption. We named four mistakes firms keep making and the strategic cost of each one. We identified three decisions that will matter most over the next two years. And in the last episode we went inside the firm and named the tensions that most leaders are managing around rather than leading through.Today is the final episode of the solo series.This is Part 6 of AI Reality Inside Firms on Accounting Voices, and it addresses Question 5: what will separate leading firms from the rest by 2027? I'm Rob Brown. And I want to be clear about what this question is and is not asking.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RtcjiD2yLuoThank you to our Season Partners for making this series possible.Fieldguide is the AI-native platform for audit and advisory enabling human and AI collaboration to scale capacity, improve quality and transform how firms operate. fieldguide.ioInstead is the first AI agent that owns end-to-end tax from research, planning, filing, and defense all in one system. It replaces CCH, GoSystems, UltraTax, Lacerte, ProConnect, Drake and many more. instead.comKarbon is the global leader in AI-powered practice management software for accounting firms. Their research into how technology is reshaping firm performance is essential reading for anyone leading a firm in 2026. karbonhq.comDigits is the world’s first AI-native accounting platform. It's accounting software that works for you to deliver real-time financials and automate the month-end close. digits.comFiled is the intelligent tax workspace for preparation and review automation and the only AI for prep, review and planning that runs inside your tax software especially made for high-volume firms. filed.comAccounting Voices is a senior sense-making platform for firm owners, managing partners and senior operators navigating the forces reshaping accounting firms. Host Rob Brown convenes structured conversations with leaders across the profession to interpret what AI, private equity, consolidation and leadership pressure mean in practice.This season, AI Reality Inside Firms, brings together senior accounting firm leaders answering the same five structured questions about how AI is actually landing inside firms, separating execution from narrative.Find all episodes on your preferred podcast platform or on the Accounting Voices YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@accountingvoicesTo find out more or to explore season partnership opportunities, connect with Rob on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown