The Accounting Technology Lab

In this episode of the Accounting Technology Lab, Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley discuss Scaling New Heights 2026 from Orlando and unpack why this year’s theme, "Strange New World," feels especially relevant for accountants. Randy shares observations from the conference floor, including strong attendance, a large exhibitor presence, sessions on AI, data cleanup, SOPs written with AI, and main...

Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley record on-site in Orlando to debrief a packed week around AICPA ENGAGE 2026 and the annual Thought Leader/40 Under 40 mashup. They open with the Rise 2040 vision project, highlighting mega-trends like the profession’s “great identity shift,” AI as a strategic force multiplier, globalization, and the emerging “trust paradox” created by artificial intelligence. Th...

In this episode of the Accounting Technology Lab, Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley welcome Kashif Ali, founder of TaxGPT, for a discussion on why general-purpose AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are not sufficient for professional tax research and advisory work. Kashif shares his unconventional journey from journalism to software development and entrepreneurship, ultimately leading...

In this episode of the Accounting Technology Lab, Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley provide an in-depth recap of the 2026 Black Ore AI Tax Summit held at Nasdaq Tower in New York City. The event brought together many of the accounting profession’s most influential leaders, technology innovators, managing partners, and AI experts to discuss the rapidly evolving future of AI-powered tax preparatio...

The accounting profession continues to struggle with fragmented systems. Documents arrive through email, text messages, portals, and cloud storage systems, while workflow management, client communication, and document storage often exist in separate applications.    In this episode (ATL261), Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley review Keyveve (https://www.keyveve.com) , a platform designed to solve...

(Note - a previous version of this episode had a gap in the audio, so we re-rendered the audio and have reposted the episode.) The accounting profession is on the verge of a major transformation in document management. In this episode of the Accounting Technology Lab, Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping the way firms capture, organize, search, and p...

In this memorable and surprisingly emotional episode of the Accounting Technology Lab , Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley reflect on the “dead pool” of accounting and business software — products that have already disappeared or are approaching end-of-life support. The conversation blends humor, nostalgia, and serious operational warnings for accounting firms still relying on aging technology. T...

In this episode of the Accounting Technology Lab, Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley welcome Donny Shimamoto of the Center for Accounting Transformation and high school student Arpan Grewal to discuss one of the accounting profession’s most urgent challenges: recruiting the next generation of talent. The conversation explores how outdated perceptions of accounting continue to discourage students...

In this episode of the Accounting Technology Lab, hosts Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley explore the alarming implications of Anthropic’s experimental AI security model known as “Mythos.” The discussion centers on how advanced AI systems are dramatically accelerating cyberattack capabilities, vulnerability discovery, exploit chaining, and zero-day attacks. The hosts compare Mythos to a “cyberse...

In this episode of the Accounting Technology Lab, Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley tackle a critical strategic decision for accounting firms: whether to adopt an all-in-one software suite or build a best-of-breed technology stack. They explore how suites from providers like Thomson Reuters and Wolters Kluwer offer convenience through integrated workflows, unified interfaces, and simplified vend...

In this episode of the Accounting Technology Lab , Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley explore how generative AI is actively reshaping accounting practices—not as a future concept, but as a present-day operational tool. They break down where AI is already embedded in workflows, from document processing and OCR to client communication, research, and advisory services. The discussion emphasizes that...

In this episode of the Accounting Technology Lab , hosts Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley welcome CPA and entrepreneur Eric Eager to explore the emerging concept of Decision Intelligence —the next evolution beyond AI. While AI delivers probabilistic, text-based outputs, Eager explains that Decision Intelligence is deterministic, proactive, and auditable, combining AI, data science, business int...

This episode of the Accounting Technology Lab delivers a behind-the-scenes look at the 2026 CPA Practice Advisor Thought Leader Symposium, where leading voices in accounting technology gathered to discuss the profession’s future. Hosts Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley explore key themes including AI integration, “vibe coding,” private equity’s growing influence, and the evolution of client acco...

Technologists Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley, CPA, discuss the current security and technology risks that accounting, tax, and other financial firms face.

Technologists Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley, CPA, discuss Microsoft Copilot , an AI-powered tool that combines the power of large language models (LLMs) with your data in the Microsoft Graph—your calendar, emails, chats, documents, meetings, and more.

Technologists Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley, CPA, discuss accounting automation tech with the co-founder of Bookkeep, Jason Richelson.

Technologists Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley, CPA, discuss client data security and the new FTC Safeguards Rule: IRS Pub 4557 (aka WISP).

Technologists Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley, CPA, discuss the 2023 Accounting Firm Operations and Technology Survey (AFOT).

Technologists Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley, CPA, talk with Jeff Gramlich of Validis about changes in audit technology and the role of data.

Technologists Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley, CPA, discuss the recent Verizon data breach and what firms need to know and do to protect their firm and client data.

Technologists Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley, CPA, discuss the recent Scaling New Heights accounting conference.

Technologists Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley, CPA, discuss the pros and cons, as well as the technologies and liabilities, of outsourcing tax and accounting tasking.

Technologists Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley, CPA, discuss models for technology governance.

Technologists Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley, CPA, discuss technology trends for audits.

Technologists Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley, CPA, discuss the 2023 AICPA Engage conference. The largest annual event by the AICPA, Engage brings together professionals in all areas of practice for education, networking, and other events.