Is artificial intelligence overhyped, or will it revolutionize the accounting profession? How can accountants prepare for the AI-driven future? Rob Brown interviews Mark Wickersham, a veteran accountant and AI enthusiast, about the impending impact of artificial intelligence on the accounting profession. Wickersham predicts significant changes in the industry by 2030, including the automation of bookkeeping and tax return preparation. He highlights the rapid advancements in AI technology across various sectors and explains how these developments will inevitably transform accounting practices. The discussion covers the current state of AI adoption in accounting firms, the potential of tools like ChatGPT, and the importance of embracing new technologies. Wickersham emphasizes the need for accountants to focus on creating value for clients beyond traditional compliance work and advocates for value-based pricing models. The conversation provides valuable insights into how accountants can prepare for and thrive in an AI-driven future. Key Takeaways: AI will significantly impact the accounting profession by 2030 Bookkeeping and tax return preparation may become automatedAccountants need to embrace AI tools like ChatGPT Firms must find new ways to create value for clients Value-based pricing is crucial in the age of AI  Quotes: "Data's where the power is. Data's where the money is." [00:11:50] "Productivity goes through the roof when we use it, when we use it properly." [00:14:30] You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channel https://youtu.be/MnEXckAjVZU Join the Accounting Influencers community and get invitations to our international speed networking events to build your personal brand and network in the accounting, finance and tech world: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencers ◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢ The Accounting Influencers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, is one of the world's leading shows for accounting leaders, professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, book your place at the next gathering. Great for building your personal brand and making valuable industry connections in return for a small donation to charity: https://accountinginfluencers.com/events ◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢ Thanks to our sponsors: ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.com ACCOUNTEX. Bringing the accounting world together with UK and international events for the accounting and tech world. https://www.accountex.co.uk If you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown You can also check out all shows on the Accounting Influencers YouTube Channel: a href="https://bit.ly/AI-youtube" rel="noopener...