SAN FRANCISCO, July 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ka bo , the leadi g AI-powe ed accou ti g p actice ma ageme t softwa e, today a ou ced the elease of a ew esea ch epo t: The Futu e of Clie t T ust i the Age of AI. Based o a su vey of 350 U.S. busi ess ow e s a d leade s, the epo t fi ds that clie ts i c easi gly expect thei accou ti g fi ms to use AI while co ti ui g to p io itize the t ust, judgme t, a d st ategic guida ce ce t al to the p ofessio .
I thei elatio ships with thei accou ti g fi ms, busi ess ow e s value the qualities that tech ology does ’t di ectly eplace. The esea ch fou d that t ust, elatio ships, a d p ofessio al judgme t emai the fou datio of accou ta t-clie t t ust:
- The accou ti g p ofessio ea ed a exceptio al +49 Net P omote Sco e, with 84% of clie ts ati g thei accou ta t a 8 o highe o a 10-poi t scale.
- T ust is the top easo clie ts choose a accou ta t, with 39% of espo de ts sayi g it matte s most i thei decisio -maki g.
- Whe asked what AI ca eve eplace, clie ts co siste tly poi ted to thei accou ta t’s judgme t, k owledge of thei busi ess, accou tability, a d pe so al elatio ship.
“Accou ti g has always bee built o t ust, a d that fou datio becomes eve mo e valuable as AI adoptio accele ates,” said Ma y Dela ey, CEO of Ka bo . “Clie ts expect fi ms to emb ace ew tech ology while co ti ui g to delive the judgme t, t a spa e cy, a d pe so al guida ce that have always defi ed the p ofessio .”
Acco di g to the esea ch, clie ts i c easi gly assume thei accou ta ts al eady use AI tools. They ca e most about how thei pa t e s deploy the tech ology a d show t a spa e cy about its ole i clie t wo k:
- The vast majo ity (89%) of clie ts wa t t a spa e cy about whe e AI is used i thei accou ti g wo k.
- O ly 2% of espo de ts a e u comfo table with AI i volveme t altogethe .
- Clie ts a e comfo table with AI tools st eamli i g outi e tasks. Howeve , they still wa t huma ove sight o st ategic decisio s a d p efe se sitive co ve satio s a e ha dled with a pe so al touch.
“AI adoptio is quickly becomi g a expectatio , but so is t a spa e cy,” said Dela ey. “Clie ts wa t to u de sta d whe e AI adds value, whe e huma expe tise emai s esse tial, a d how the two come togethe to positively impact thei busi esses.”
Rathe tha viewi g AI as a way to educe costs o speed up existi g wo k, clie ts see the tech ology as a oppo tu ity fo accou ta ts to delive g eate st ategic value. Fi ms that meet those expectatio s have a oppo tu ity to deepe clie t elatio ships a d c eate ew eve ue oppo tu ities.
Acco di g to Ka bo :
- Mo e tha 80% of espo de ts say thei accou ta t becomes mo e valuable if they accele ate outi e wo k with AI tools a d ei vest the time savi gs i to st ategic co ve satio s.
- Mo e tha half (54%) would pay mo e fo ew AI-e abled se vices, such as eal-time dashboa ds a d fo ecasti g.
- Ove two-thi ds (68%) say they value a accou ta t who is i vested i thei lo g-te m success, eve if that comes at the expe se of speed.
“Efficie cy has always bee pa t of the value p opositio fo AI, but ou esea ch shows clie ts a e looki g fo somethi g bigge ,” said Dela ey. “They wa t tech ology to c eate mo e oppo tu ities fo st ategic advice, st o ge elatio ships, a d bette busi ess outcomes.”
Fo mo e i fo matio o the epo t a d othe updates f om Ka bo , visit ka bo hq.com.
Ka bo , a global leade i AI-powe ed p actice ma ageme t softwa e fo accou ti g fi ms, p ovides a awa d-wi i g, collabo ative cloud platfo m focused o accele ati g fi ms’ top a d bottom li e g owth. Ka bo d ives u p ecede ted value fo its custome s evide ced by its #1 a ki g o G2 a d custome – epo ted savi gs of 18.5 hou s pe week pe employee. Fou ded i 2014, Ka bo has custome s i 40 cou t ies with employees ac oss US, Aust alia, New Zeala d, Ca ada a d the U ited Ki gdom. Ka bo is well-fu ded a d backed by Tidema k a d Five Elms.
