Why only accountants can save accountants from AI

THE Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (Isca) recently hosted a workshop with OpenClaw Singapore on artificial intelligence agents, and one thing became very clear from the discussions: AI is no longer a distant prospect for the accountancy profession.

The technology is already reshaping how work gets done, and the pace of change is only accelerating. Yet, full automation still feels some distance away. Why?

From the outside, accounting is often seen as the processing of transactions or the mechanical application of rules. But those who have done the work know otherwise.