What happens to the value of relationships when your client is AI?

As artificial intelligence takes on an increasingly active role in business operations, a provocative new question is emerging for accounting professionals: when your client is no longer a person but an AI system, what becomes of the relationship that has always sat at the heart of great client service? This session explores how the rise of AI-driven businesses and autonomous systems is challenging traditional notions of trust, communication, and value in the client-adviser dynamic. We’ll examine whether the skills that have long defined exceptional accountants – empathy, judgement, and the ability to build lasting human connections – remain relevant in a world where decisions are increasingly made by algorithms, and what new forms of value professionals must cultivate to stay indispensable in an AI-first economy.