Part 1:

Personally, I don’t think AI can ever fully replace accountants, because accounting is not just about numbers and calculations. Accountants also need judgment, responsibility, and an understanding of real business situations. AI is already very useful and is changing the accounting field in many ways. It is used for tasks such as data entry, auditing, tax preparation, fraud detection, financial analysis, and creating reports. However, I think the main thing AI cannot fully replace is human judgment, especially when it comes to ethics and important financial decisions.

Accounting depends a lot on accuracy and trust. AI has become very advanced in organizing data and finding patterns, but it still does not fully understand the reasons behind business decisions the way humans do. For example, AI can notice an unusual transaction, but an accountant is still needed to decide whether it is a mistake, fraud, or just a normal part of the business. AI may understand accounting rules in theory but applying them to real situations often requires critical thinking and experience.

I think AI will become more common in accounting firms, companies, and government sectors. It will help with taxes, audits, budgeting, and financial forecasting. This will make accounting work faster and more efficient because AI can reduce repetitive tasks and lower the chance of human error. However, final decisions, financial advice, and ethical responsibility will still need to stay with humans.

In the long run, AI may become even more advanced and useful in accounting, but I think it will work more as a tool than a replacement. One of the main goals of accounting is to provide accurate and useful financial information, and AI is already helping with that. It has proven useful in calculations, reports, and forecasting, but accountants will still be needed to explain information, make judgments, and take responsibility for financial decisions.

Part 2:

Here is my chat with AI asking to suggest ways in which AI will be used in the field of accounting from a professional ad academic context

https://chatgpt.com/c/69f79fc9-1cc8-83ea-bec9-e94372b261f3

Part 3:

Interview questions:

1. How is AI currently being used in accounting, both in universities and in real-world work?

Can you share a specific example from your experience?

2. From what you’ve seen, which accounting tasks are being affected the most by AI right now, and why those in particular?

Do you think this impact is actually significant, or sometimes exaggerated?

3.How do you think AI will change what accountants do in the next 5 to 10 years?

Do you think these changes are happening as fast as people claim?

4. Do you think there are parts of accounting where human judgment will always be important, even with AI?

What makes those areas difficult for AI to handle?

6. Have you come across situations where AI tools didn’t work as expected in accounting?

What were the main limitations or problems in those cases?

7. What kinds of ethical or professional risks do you think come with using AI in accounting?

Who do you think should be responsible if an AI system makes a mistake?

8. As a student preparing for this field, what skills do you think I should focus on to stay relevant as AI becomes more common?

Are universities like AUC doing enough to help students build these skills?

This interview was made with my managerial accounting professor, Dr. Nariman Kandil through a voice recording that will be attached below:

C:\Users\hp\Downloads\AI interview recording.mp4

Key Findings:

The key findings from the interview show that, according to the doctor, AI is already being used in accounting education, research, and professional practice. In teaching, the doctor explained that AI tools such as Gemini help her prepare practice problems, classroom activities, Kahoot questions, and accounting games, which makes teaching more interactive and useful for students. She also mentioned that AI is helpful in research, especially through tools like SciSpace and Consensus, because they help gather literature review articles, provide insights, support brainstorming, and assist with writing the analysis and results of research papers. In real-world accounting, the doctor focused mainly on auditing and explained that some AI tools are now able to perform tasks that junior auditors used to do, such as reviewing financial statements, detecting material misstatements, and identifying possible errors or fraud. Because of this, she noted that some firms may rely less on junior auditors and focus more on hiring managers.

Another important finding from the interview is that the doctor believes AI will have a major impact on accounting in the next five to ten years, but she also sees this impact as risky. She explained that while AI can be useful in some cases, it may also be harmful in the long run if it replaces human roles or causes people to depend on it too much. The doctor emphasized that AI is not always accurate, as it can provide false information, misleading answers, inaccurate calculations, and solutions that do not follow the proper accounting method. Because of these limitations, she believes that accountants must be trained well enough to understand AI, filter its output, and decide what information should or should not be trusted. She also highlighted ethical concerns, explaining that AI can create professional risks if it is used in an unethical or irresponsible way, which could negatively affect companies and stakeholders. Overall, the doctor’s main point was that students and accountants need to develop their skills, especially in understanding how AI works and improving prompt engineering, because writing clear prompts is important for getting useful and accurate answers. She also said that AUC is trying to support this by offering workshops and encouraging faculty to integrate AI into teaching, research, grading, assignments, and projects, if students use proper citations and references.