What does the rise of AI mean for entry-level roles?

Finance professionals weigh in on how AI-powered automation could affect the skills gap and developing new talent.

A growing number of accountancy firms are integrating artificial intelligence (AI) technology in a bid to improve efficiency. In many ways, it’s an inevitable step for firms to look to reduce costs and utilise AI capabilities. However, in a sector that’s plagued by skills shortages, it needs to be implemented carefully.

On the one hand, two in five people would consider a career change to accountancy if administrative tasks were carried out by AI, according to AAT’s research. The technology is making careers in the sector more appealing and potentially addressing the skills gap.

But on the other, some companies utilising AI have reduced headcount. They may need to rework their business practices, too: traditionally, new starters have learned processes and operations by carrying out a business’s more mundane tasks and manual processes, gaining insight into how and why things work. This has been the foundation on which young employees and graduates have developed skills, confidence and experience.

We asked accountants, finance professionals and ChatGPT what they make of AI’s effect on careers.

Firms must redesign how juniors build experience

Ben Lee, Crypto Tax Partner, Andersen LLP

AI is increasingly handling repetitive, rules-based tasks that historically formed the bulk of entry-level roles. While this may reduce the volume of traditional graduate intake, it doesn’t diminish the need for talent – rather it simply changes the profile of skills firms are looking for. Instead of focusing on manual processing, firms will need recruits who can interpret outputs, apply judgment and engage with clients.

Ensuring that new joiners gain meaningful experience is a genuine challenge in an era where routine tasks are increasingly automated. Many accountants have learned their trade by cutting their teeth on compliance and processing work. If that training ground is automated away, firms must be deliberate about designing alternative pathways such as earlier rotations into client-facing work, structured problem-solving projects, or leveraging simulation and AI itself as a training tool. Left unaddressed, this could create a skills gap at the mid-tier level in future.

The issue with all this isn’t the loss of routine work per se, it’s whether firms adapt quickly enough to redesign how juniors build experience. For forward-looking firms, this isn’t about reducing headcount, it’s about elevating the profession, moving it closer to consultancy and strategic decision support.

Verdict: AI won’t diminish the need for talent or the loss of work per se, but firms must adapt quickly to redesign how juniors build experience.

Newcomers risk missing incremental learning that underpins good judgment

Dr Faisal Sheikh, Principal Lecturer and Accounting and Finance Course Leader, Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University and former ACCA-qualified audit manager

Historically, entry-level and new joiners learned the profession’s language and culture by performing repetitive tasks like reconciliations, basic audit testing and data entry. Automation removes the vast majority of the repetition; thus, newcomers risk missing the slow, deliberate and incremental learning that underpins good judgment in complex, ambiguous scenarios, which may affect the depth and breadth of their professional development.

Consequently, firms may need to rethink and redesign their training and onboarding programmes to simulate those learning opportunities — for example, by using case studies, shadowing, and AI-assisted training platforms.

It becomes problematic if and only if firms fail to replace the developmental, if not educational value, of mundane and routine tasks. Without that, future accountants may be technically adept but lack the contextual, sceptical mindset that distinguishes an excellent practitioner from a merely competent one.

The winning firms will be those that successfully integrate AI into their workflow while simultaneously consolidating and enhancing their staff’s human skills, such as empathy, critical thinking, ethical judgement, and the big one, curiosity — that technology cannot replicate.

Verdict: With AI, newcomers risk missing the incremental learning that underpins good judgment which may affect depth of professional development.

Replacing graduate intake with AI will come with long-term costs

Alistair Main, Head of Assurance and Assurance Director, Duncan & Toplis

When used correctly, AI can improve both quality and efficiency at a time when regulators are expecting more from firms. But AI cannot replace human judgement. Over-reliance risks complacency, errors and ultimately lower-quality outcomes.

The biggest challenge is what this shift means for training the next generation. Entry-level audit work gives trainees the foundation they need to critically review financials and, in future, the work of AI itself. Cutting graduate intake because AI can do the base work may feel efficient now, but the long-term cost will become clear in five to 10 years.

Crucially, accountability cannot be passed to AI. Just as with the work of a junior auditor, responsibility rests with the Responsible Individual signing the audit report. Unless AI developers are prepared to take on that responsibility, auditors must ensure they fully understand the outputs of AI tools before relying on them.

Verdict: Cutting graduate intake to utilise AI may feel efficient now but the long-term cost will ultimately become clear.

AI is creating demand for critical thinking and advisory skills

Vipul Sheth, Chartered Accountant and MD, Advancetrack

AI is not removing opportunities, it’s raising the bar. As compliance and admin work becomes automated, we’re seeing more demand for critical thinking, communication and advisory skills – even at the start of someone’s career.

The real challenge is making sure we support early-career professionals in building those higher-value capabilities. That might mean firms need to rethink how they structure their teams and training. Outsourcing, for example, can help by taking the routine work off their plates – but it also means firms have to be much more intentional about how junior staff learn and progress.

According to our latest Accounting Talent Index, 65% of firms still haven’t introduced AI training or development for their teams. That presents a major risk to the pipeline – especially if graduates are entering firms where the traditional hands-on learning route no longer exists.

Verdict: AI isn’t removing opportunities. As admin work becomes automated, we are seeing more demand for critical thinking and advisory skills.

We mustn’t stop investing in people even as AI revolutionises the sector

Ellis-Harris Boulter MAAT, Founder and Director, FieCO

AI is the biggest change for the accounting industry since computerisation. Automation will free up time and allow us to explore new sectors and opportunities, including carbon accounting, cryptocurrency accounting and advisory. We’ll be able to move away from number crunching and being seen as ‘bean counters’.

But the real challenge with AI will be a significant skills shortage in the coming years if we stop investing in young people. Those entering the field are at risk of skipping the fundamentals of accountancy as AI takes on the more manual processes, leading to an increasing reliance on technology. So when things go wrong, we might find practitioners unable to resolve basic issues due to lack of knowledge.

Entry-level staff and new joiners will need to be more innovative than before, as competition for the reduced number of roles will be higher than ever.

Verdict: AI will revolutionise the sector, but those just entering the field are at risk of skipping the accountancy fundamentals – so we mustn’t stop investing in people.

We risk a generation of accountants who don’t understand the numbers

ChatGPT, Open AI’s AI Language Model

AI is starting to take over the manual, repetitive jobs in accountancy firms — things like reconciliations, data entry, and basic analysis. That’s great for efficiency, but it does raise a tricky question: if these regular tasks disappear, how do new joiners actually learn the ropes?

Traditionally, those tasks weren’t just busy work; they helped junior staff understand how the numbers fit together. Without that foundation, there’s a risk of a training gap.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. If firms get it right, AI could actually speed up progression. Instead of spending years buried in spreadsheets, new accountants might move more quickly into client-facing work, problem-solving, and advisory roles. The catch is that firms can’t leave this to chance — they’ll need to create more structured training, mentoring, and hands-on opportunities. Otherwise, we risk a generation of accountants who know how to use AI, but not why the numbers matter.

Verdict: If firms don’t act now, we risk a generation of accountants who know how to use AI but not why the numbers matter.

Would you like to contribute to future articles like this one? If so, please get in touch with Annie Makoff-Clark at [email protected].

Annie Makoff is a freelance journalist and editor.