Accountancy and many professional services will be boosted by tech but their beating heart must remain human, especially for female entrepreneurs

What happens to trust when machines take over the ledger? That was the question on my mind when Deloitte, in June 2025, published its report Introducing Accountant 2.0.

The study explored how AI and automation could reshape accountancy, echoing Deloitte’s earlier conclusion that 61% of tasks could already be automated. In truth, the Big Four have been acting on this for years.

According to Patrick Morgan research, Deloitte has cut graduate recruitment by 18%, EY by 11%, PwC by 6%, and KPMG by 29% since 2023. These reductions are justified on the basis AI can now handle much of the entry-level work once carried out by junior staff.

Meanwhile, the wider labour market is showing the strain. McKinsey’s July 2025 study found UK vacancies down 43% since 2022, with job ads for AI-exposed roles in finance falling 38%. But when machines take the tasks, what becomes of the human relationships professional services are meant to be built on?

The debate about AI in accountancy is increasingly polarised. McKinsey’s report captures the paradox: while 80% of large companies use AI, only 1% believe adoption is mature, and fewer than one in five report tangible gains. Disruption is real but the payoff remains elusive.

Graduates face what McKinsey calls a “triple whammy”: fewer entry-level roles, fiercer competition and the loss of lower-skilled opportunities that once offered a foothold. Advocates say AI frees professionals to focus on strategy and insight; critics warn of hollowing out.

As Rosie Berridge, Director of Accountability Edinburgh and a XERO Bookkeeping Partner of the Year 2024, explains: “As the technology landscape evolves – and automates many of the tasks accountants once completed – it is incumbent on us to find new ways to stay relevant and truly serve our clients’ needs.”

Deloitte echoes this, framing the accountant of the future as a strategic........

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