Offshoring is a Bandaid, Not a Fix - How Al-Optimized Firms Win on Context Instead

AI Native Accounting Is The Three-Point Line - And Most CFOs are Still Playing Post-Up Ball

Paul Peterson and Matt Barbieri just returned from four weeks on the road — BDO's firm conference in Vegas, an investor summit in San Francisco, Boston Tech Week, and NYC Tech Week — and the takeaway is stark: the gap between accounting firms embracing AI and those waiting it out is widening fast. In this episode of This Week in Accounting AI, they break down what they saw across all four stops, unpack the Rillet vs. Artifact debate (AI-native ERP vs. agnostic intelligence layer), and get into why most CFOs can't answer the most basic question about their own close process. They also cover agent stickiness, why most AI agents die after the first build, how to think about designing AI usage vs. just experimenting, and why Paul's NBA three-point-line analogy may be the clearest frame yet for what AI-native accounting actually means for competitive advantage. This Week in Accounting AI is produced by Wiss, an AI-optimized CPA and advisory firm serving privately-held and venture-backed businesses.

The ERP Is Broken by Design — And Accountants Are Paying the Price | ft. Adam Riches, Netgain CEO

Netgain CEO Adam Riches joins Paul Peterson to expose why ERP systems deprioritized accounting decades ago — and why CFOs are still paying the price. They cover the history of accounting as a competitive advantage (from the Medici to Carnegie to the IBM mainframe era), how the spreadsheet became a 40-year Band-Aid, and what modern accounting infrastructure actually needs to look like. Adam breaks down Netgain's three-layer close framework (cash, simple accrual, GAAP), the case for rules over AI in bank reconciliation, Benford analysis for anomaly detection, and why AI risks repeating the same mistake as ERP if the profession isn't deliberate. A must-listen for CFOs, controllers, and finance leaders navigating the next wave of accounting technology. This Week in Accounting AI is produced by Wiss, an AI-optimized CPA and advisory firm serving privately-held and venture-backed businesses.

Power, Gatekeeping & Control in Accounting - And How Al Is About to Break It Open

In episode 12, Paul and Matt get into the uncomfortable truth about accounting departments: too many of them are held hostage by a single person who has turned a process into a black box. From the controller who "bamboozles" leadership to the commissions guy who made Friday bagels a bigger priority than payroll, Paul and Matt unpack how power and control became baked into the profession, starting with the 150-hour rule, and why AI is about to flatten it. They also dig into service as a lost art, why accountants were never supposed to be schedule-preparers, and Paul's vision of accountants as storytellers and business leaders inside the companies they serve.

Audit Trails, Hallucinations & Job Security - What Accountants Actually Asked About AI

Fresh off the Wiss Labs Bourbon & Bookkeeping event, Paul Peterson and Matt Barbieri unpack the three biggest questions a room full of CFOs, controllers, and founders brought to the table: How do AI agents handle audit trails? What about hallucinations? And the one everyone wants to ask — are accountants about to lose their jobs? Plus, why the new "intelligent layer" running over the ERP is making context the most valuable asset in accounting.

2 Myths About Al in Accounting That Are Holding CPAs Back (From Real Busy Season Data)

Fresh off the BDO Annual Conference and meetings in San Francisco, Paul Peterson and Matt Barbieri get real about what's actually happening with AI adoption in accounting, and what's not. Drawing on candid feedback from Wiss staff who piloted AI tools through busy season, they dispel two big myths: that AI means fewer accountants, and that AI tools can be distributed like traditional software. In this episode: * Why "max your tokens" mandates are killing AI adoption * The hidden cost of implementation that VCs and founders keep missing * Why mandated AI is the case most easily headed for failure * How accounting is shifting from a back office to a front office function * A direct message to startups and VCs: stop treating this like a SaaS rollout A candid, unrehearsed conversation about why the profession has been undervalued, and why the path forward requires real partnership between accountants, founders, and investors.