AI Native Accounting - Digits

Why CLA’s CEO Believes the Future of Accounting Is More Human | Jen Leary

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

“We’re talking so much about AI... but the human impact that you can have utilizing these tools is what I see for the next decade.”

Jen Leary, CEO of CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen), joins Kacee Johnson to explain how one of the country’s largest professional services firms is rethinking its technology, its advisory model, and the judgment it has built over 100 years and 77 firm mergers.

CLA serves more than 200,000 clients and has built the largest client advisory services practice in the profession. Now, through a collaboration with Digits, the firm is training a proprietary AI model on its own data to eliminate repetitive data entry and move clients closer to real-time financial results. Jen shares candidly about the road here, including the mistakes CLA made building CAS, and why she believes relationships, expertise, and judgment only grow more valuable as the technology advances.

The Price of Intelligence | Jin Chang & Danny Manimbo

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Clients aren’t paying for your time. They’re paying for the expertise, trust, and outcomes you deliver.

Jin Chang, Co-Founder and CEO of FieldGuide, and Danny Manimbo, Managing Principal at Schellman, join Kacee Johnson to unpack one of the hardest parts of AI transformation: pricing.

From value-based and outcome-based models to continuous auditing and new advisory opportunities, they explore why faster delivery shouldn’t automatically mean lower fees and how firms can use AI-created capacity to deliver more value instead of simply doing the same work with fewer hours.

AI in Tax Is Moving Fast. Are We Ignoring the Risks? | Danny Werfel

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

“Extraordinary productivity gains shouldn’t automatically mean removing people from the process.”

Danny Werfel, former IRS Commissioner, joins Kacee Johnson to discuss how tax professionals can embrace AI without sacrificing the trust, expertise, and accountability the profession depends on.

From AI risk frameworks and error tolerance to workforce development and human oversight, they talk about what responsible AI adoption should look like across the tax profession.

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.