ITB December 2024/January 2025 - Magazine - Page 22
FUTURE SKILL S
CRYSTAL
GAZING
As artificial intelligence (AI) matures
and the net-zero era unfolds,
professional services and workplace
experts envision what the accounting
and finance space and work roles may
look like a decade from now.
WORDS CAMERON COOPER
I
n a world where blockchain auditors and
carbon accountants are currently in demand,
it is believed that by 2035, the trusted advisor
role of accountants and finance professionals
will be strengthened. While there may be an AI
agent helping to manage emails and crunch the
financial data, this will allow accountants to focus on
strengthening relationships and driving better results.
Professor Paul Andon, head of accounting,
auditing and taxation at the UNSW Business School,
says an exciting future awaits accountants and finance
professionals who wish to take a futuristic view
and move beyond merely being “excellent technical
professionals”. By taking advantage of automation,
Andon believes that accountants’ cherished vision
of ditching mundane duties and ramping up
value-add work for clients can become a daily reality.
22 INTHEBLACK Dec 2024/Jan 2025 SPECIAL EDITION
Adjunct associate professor Mary Dunkley FCPA,
retired department chair of accounting economics
and finance at Swinburne University of Technology,
adds that the “DNA of accounting” is unlikely
to change dramatically in 10 years or more. She notes
that the “father of accounting”, Italian mathematician
Luca Pacioli, laid the groundwork for the double-entry
system of accounting in the 1500s.
“Whether it’s 2035 or 400 years ago, accounting
DNA is grounded in ethical reasoning and enquiring,”
Dunkley says. “We want a dose of scepticism.
We also need a critical mind when interpreting
and communicating data, and I don’t think those
core DNA attributes will change.”
While Dunkley concedes that ChatGPT and other
large language models will reshape accounting
practices, she expects smart human beings to
