AI Native Accounting - Digits

The Longest-Serving AICPA CEO on What Comes Next

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

"We have, for almost 100 years, been a pyramid-shaped profession. AI is changing that."

Barry Melancon, former AICPA CEO, joins Kacee Johnson in a candid discussion about the profound shifts facing the accounting profession in the age of AI.

The accounting profession's most urgent challenge in the AI era is transitioning from a traditional hierarchical pyramid model to a structure.

Why Small Firms No Longer Need a Big Budget to Win

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 07:00:00 GMT

"We can't go out and just upload tax returns to ChatGPT because it's gonna be faster."

Barry Brown, founder of EBITDA Advisors, joins Kacee Johnson and Bebe Kim to explain why the future belongs to firms that adopt AI deliberately, not recklessly.

Looking at firms of every size, they break down why AI adoption and AI results are turning out to be two very different things.

Pascal Finette on What Clients Pay Accountants For, Outlearning AI and the Future of Firms

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Pascal Finette, Co-Founder & Chief Heretic of radical, joins Kacee Johnson to explore why AI is impacting cognitive work faster than routine work and what that means for organizations trying to adapt. They also discuss why employees still hesitate to trust AI systems and why the ability to outlearn competitors may become more important than the technology itself.

Why Culture Beats Capital in Building Independent CPA Firms | Carla McCall

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 07:00:00 GMT

“You're not going to take an old process and fit it into a new tech box.”

⁠Carla McCall⁠ believes the firms struggling most with AI are often the ones trying hardest to preserve the way they’ve always operated.

As Managing Partner of AAFCPAs and former Chair of the AICPA, Carla shares why firms need to rethink management habits, communication structures, and even how young professionals are trained in an AI-enabled world.

Tune in to hear how AAFCPAs scaled from $16M to nearly $80M by building a people-first culture.

A Top 20 Accounting Firm's AI Playbook, Without the Hype

Mon, 18 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Most accounting firms are jumping into AI headfirst, buying tools, chasing models, and wondering why nothing is sticking.

Thomas DeMayo, AI lead at PKF O'Connor Davies, one of the top 20 accounting firms in the country, has a different approach entirely.

He breaks down why your knowledge layer has to come before any tool decision, what AI can and cannot do in audit, and why the billable hour is already on its way out.

If you're a firm leader trying to build an AI strategy that holds up over time, this one is worth your time.

Accounting’s Biggest Shift in 100 Years

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT

If AI can deliver the outputs, why would clients still pay for the accountant?

⁠Allan Koltin⁠, CEO of Koltin Consulting Group, joins ⁠Kacee Johnson⁠ to explore how accounting firms must evolve from service providers to value creators in a rapidly changing landscape.

They also explore:

Why firms heavily dependent on compliance may see revenue decline

Private equity is moving from large firms to mid-sized and even smaller firms

Why the “talent shortage” may solve itself as the nature of work shifts

Many firms are held back by partnership models that can’t make fast or tough decisions

The AI Advantage Accounting Firms Aren't Seeing Yet

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

We may be overestimating AI adoption today, and underestimating its long-term impact.

Kimberly Ellison-Taylor, Founder and CEO of KET Solutions LLC and past Chair of the AICPA, joins Kacee Johnson⁠ to explore how leaders are preparing for a more AI enabled profession.

She challenges traditional views on ROI by shifting the focus from cost savings to productivity and impact, and explains why AI fluency requires dedicated time to learn rather than just pressure to adopt.

PE, M&A, and AI: What Accounting Firms Need to Know Now for 2026

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Complexity in accounting has never been higher and neither has opportunity.

With Top 100 firms growing 8.58%, Daniel Hood, Editor-in-Chief of Accounting Today, joins Kacee Johnson to unpack why firms below $1B are outperforming the broader market.

They also discuss how cross-selling improves client retention and increases revenue per client, and why growth is funding technology investments rather than technology driving growth.

How MCPs Will Change Accounting in 2026

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

If you only learn one thing about accounting tech in 2026, it's MCPs.

EVP of K2 Enterprises and NMGI’s co-founder & CEO Randy Johnston joins Kacee Johnson for a grounded conversation on what's real and what's noise in AI for accounting right now.

They cover:

• MCPs replacing APIs and why every platform will have one

• The surprising swing back to single-vendor suites

• Why large-size firms are loosing clients to mid-size firms

• The client migration from big firms to the mid-market

First episode under the AI Native Accounting Foundation. Awards nominations open at ainativeaccounting.org.

Why Younger CPAs Are Essential to AI Readiness

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

What does responsible AI look like inside the world’s most trusted profession?

Susan S. Coffey, CEO of Public Accounting at the AICPA, joins Kacee Johnson to explore the non-negotiable guardrails for AI in accounting and how the profession can innovate without compromising its standards.

They also get into:

• Why AI in accounting must remain auditable

• Why reverse mentoring with younger professionals accelerates AI fluency across firms

• How CPA education is shifting from knowledge to application