The accounting profession is entering a new phase of AI adoption. Beyond experimenting with generative AI, forward-looking firms are now beginning to embrace AI agents—autonomous digital assistants designed to handle entire workflows with minimal human intervention. In this session, we’ll explore how AI agents differ from today’s AI-enabled tools and why they signal a shift toward proactive, intelligent automation. Attendees will see how these systems are already reshaping tax, audit, and client service functions—from multi-agent collaboration in tax preparation to automated audit validation and client outreach.
Cybercriminals are using AI to launch smarter, faster, and more convincing attacks—targeting people, not just systems. Accountants and CPA firms, with access to sensitive financial data, are squarely in their sights. This session dives into how hackers are weaponizing AI to craft believable phishing schemes and malware, bypassing even strong tech defenses. Learn from real-world breaches and walk away with practical steps to spot threats and strengthen both your firm’s technical and human firewalls—before your data becomes their payday.
Artificial Intelligence has reached a turning point. In 2025, AI was deeply embedded in business operations, driving both excitement and unease—from fears of a “jobpocalypse” to breakthroughs in agents, automation and decision-making. In 2026, new trends such as AI Companions, Agentic AI, Wearable AI, and the rise of AI sovereignty are shaping how organizations compete and scale. In this session, LBMC’s Shareholder-in-Charge of the AI Practice and an experienced data scientist will unpack the current state of AI and chart the road ahead, focusing on developing AI Agents.
Every accounting firm has lived through a technology rollout that didn’t land as expected. After six years of working with 200+ firms on digital adoption – and making our own share of missteps while building Aiwyn – we’ve seen the good, the bad, and the “never again.” In this candid, behind-the-scenes session, one of Aiwyn’s co-founders will share lessons learned from both sides of the table, including the most common pitfalls that cause tech initiatives to fail inside firms.
This session translates agentic AI into plain English: what it is, where it helps, and how to keep it safe with clear checkpoints for humans. We’ll show how everyday tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot can be stitched together with no coding to move a real firm process from request to result. You’ll see an orchestrated agent built live in the room, with simple guardrails, an audit trail, and handoffs that keep staff in control. We’ll finish with a 30-day pilot playbook and the key metrics to prove ROI fast¬—perfect for leaders who want results over hype.
As firms grow, disconnected tools and manual processes create inefficiency. This session will walk through building a modern, integrated firm management stack. It will cover best practices for unifying time & billing, CRM, reporting, and automation—driving better margins, accountability, and client satisfaction.
Transaction Advisory Services (TAS) teams spend too much time on manual data wrangling instead of client-focused analysis. This session will show how automation and standardized outputs accelerate diligence, reduce errors, and free teams to deliver deeper insights – highlighted through real-world examples. Learn to identify where automation can reduce manual effort in TAS workflows.
AI-driven tax prep is not about replacing accountants; it is about making them extraordinary. By creating capacity per staffer and easing margin pressure, automation frees professionals to deliver higher-value results like faster turnaround, proactive planning, and strategic advisory. For younger talent, this shift transforms accounting from repetitive compliance into a career of impact, positioning firms to attract, retain, and elevate the next generation.
AI is here and it’s moving fast. It’s the future of professional services. Already, 75% of knowledge workers are using it daily; roles that require AI skills command a 56% wage premium; and in accounting, AI has cut the monthly close by more than a week. The message? AI isn’t just changing the rules of work, but it’s rewriting the playbook. This isn’t a session about being replaced; it’s about being elevated. Attendees will walk away ready to let AI handle the heavy lifting, so you can focus on the heavy thinking: pattern-spotting, storytelling, experience design, and future-building.