By Samantha Mansfield
The speed at which artificial intelligence (AI) can complete tasks is incredibly appealing. For years, the accounting profession has been trying to fulfill the increasing needs of clients while challenged with a lean talent bench. Given the easy accessibility and adoption of AI tools, anyone can generate summaries, draft communications, analyze data, conduct research, and even outline recommendations.
But here’s the challenge: if everyone is using the same tools (Anthropic’s Claude, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot) in very similar ways, the output we’re all developing begins to look, sound, and feel the same. An overreliance on AI’s output can lead to a feeling of “me too” or sameness, where we risk not standing out or not being perceived as adding value. And, as good as AI is (and it’s getting better every day), taking a “cut and paste” approach to delivering its output could lead to mistakes and damaged reputations, too.
Welcome to the risks of AI sameness.
When we stop applying our own judgment, expertise, critical thinking, problem solving, providing unique deliverables, and fostering deep client relationships, too, we risk becoming indistinguishable from any other practitioner.
A growing number of clients are asking AI for input before coming to you. They are using the same tools we use, including some of the deeper tax and accounting research engines. They will quickly notice the similarity and differences in the responses you and AI produce. They may have two thoughts when they compare AI’s output to yours:
- “AI generated the same responses my accountant just gave me. Do I need to pay my accountant when I can do this myself?”
- “AI gave me more options than my accountant did, so maybe my accountant doesn’t know as much about this question, and I should use AI instead.”
AI, just like any technology, is only as good as the operator. If you don’t have deep, trusting relationships with your clients, they may not reveal that they asked AI for input before or after talking to you. Clients then run the risk of making ill-informed decisions because the AI output lacks highly valuable contextual insights that only you have. You want to protect your clients from falling prey to this. If clients aren’t telling you they are using AI, start asking them, “Do you ever ask AI for input on your finances/business? I ask because we hope our clients are beginning to use AI, and we also want to be sure they’re aware that AI does sometimes produce very credible feelings, but inaccurate responses for their situation and we don’t want that to happen to you.“
Clients are also getting good at spotting AI-generated responses (or asking AI to identify the percentage of your output that was AI-generated). They are beginning to recognize and even expect that we are using AI. And we don’t want to hide that we are. These powerful tools are game-changing for us and our clients. Our unique, special, and different “pixie dust” and important contextual information transforms any AI output into tailor-made responses. Without that increased insight or advice, clients could begin to push back on fees, thinking we are saving time and costs but not adding anything new, so the AI “savings” should be passed on to them. If we fall into the pit of AI sameness, we risk seeing fees decline.
We’re also hearing of clients uploading their accounting firm deliverables to simplify your instructions to them. Perhaps you should, too, before you send them to the client? Instead of making clients turn to AI tools to understand their next steps, you can get input from AI on ways to simplify instructions and foresee next steps, so clients are able to take the appropriate actions from your deliverables.
Instead Use AI to Elevate, Not Replace
AI is not the enemy of differentiation. Instead, it’s a powerful accelerator of it, when used intentionally. Practitioners who stand out are those who combine the efficiency of AI with the elements that make us and our firms unique, special, and different (USD).
In fact, we’ll want to help guide our clients to use AI in their lives and businesses, so they can remain competitive, too.
That means you need to be able to articulate your USDs and ensure that your differentiators don’t sound like the same things AI can do for your clients. Too often, we hear practitioners say their value to clients include:
- Being responsive
- Analyzing data
- Identifying trends
- Highlighting anomalies in their data
Clients could think, “Can’t AI do that, too?”
As a practitioner, it is time to reimagine and then reinforce the value you bring to your clients, and the difference you make for them. Answer these questions:
- How is your service to this client transformative to their life or business?
- What unique insights can you bring, or what questions are you asking, that AI is not?
- How is your knowledge of their circumstances critical to their success?
- How is your unique expertise or experience adding value to any machine-generated output? Where are you adding unique value?
- How well do you know this client so you can anticipate questions and needs they have? If not that well, what can you do to learn more?
We all must use AI to maintain a competitive advantage, but we must use it as another tool in our toolset like our sophisticated tax software and the financial dashboards we provide. Clients have been using QuickBooks, but most still need our expertise. They will use AI but must see how and when your unique value is critical to their success.
Let’s use this new tool to redefine the service and value we can provide. AI will give us quick access to so much more analysis and data, but we must leverage that increased efficiency and depth to ask, “what additional value or insight can we provide?”
Right now, there is a great deal of skepticism on how much AI can be trusted, but as technology learns and gets smarter, adoption and trust will increase. Practitioners who thrive are not those who rely on it the most but are the ones who use it the most thoughtfully and communicate their unique value to clients. Use AI to deliver more of what differentiates you.
About the Author
Samantha Mansfield is a senior consultant and leadership coach at ConvergenceCoaching, LLC. Samantha’s passion is sharing knowledge to enable others to reach their goals.
Reprinted with permission from ConvergenceCoaching®, LLC. Originally published at https://convergencecoaching.com/the-risk-of-ai-sameness-and-the-power-of-being-unique-special-and-different/.