Do you have an AI colleague?

Murray Patt, founder of Hale-based accountants Alexander Knight & Co, takes a look at the future of AI and what it means for business owners who have to manage robots in the workplace…

Artificial intelligence (AI) is currently seen as a useful tool for business owners to write emails, summarise documents or generate ideas. But the next wave of AI usage will be different.

Technology experts are increasingly talking about the rise of AI assistants. These are systems that won’t simply answer questions, but will be able to complete routine business tasks on your behalf.

Imagine asking an AI assistant to prepare your weekly sales report, chase overdue invoices, schedule meetings, compare supplier prices, monitor stock levels or even remind you about important deadlines. The likes of Chat GPT and Gemini already offer integrations that bolt into your existing administrative processes and it’s within this area we expect to see widespread adoption.

Rather than carrying out each task manually yourself, you’ll simply ask your AI platform what you need, review its work and decide what action to take. In many ways, AI is evolving from being a digital search tool into a practical business assistant. A robotic PA.

For small businesses in particular, this is a significant development.

Many owners spend valuable time dealing with administration instead of focusing on customers, growth and strategy. AI assistants have the potential to reduce some of that workload, helping businesses become more productive without necessarily increasing headcount.

Even small daily time savings can build up over a year, giving owners more time to focus on income-generating work and stronger customer relationships.

That doesn’t mean people become less important. Quite the opposite.

While AI may become increasingly capable of handling repetitive and time-consuming tasks, it can’t replace human judgement, creativity, experience or relationships.

Winning new clients, supporting employees, making tough decisions and building trust will remain firmly in human hands. AI can analyse information at remarkable speed, but it can’t understand people in the way that people understand each other.

In 2027, the businesses that are likely to benefit most from AI will not be those that try to replace people with technology. Instead, they will be those that manage AI to support their teams, freeing up time for higher-value work that only people can do.

Businesses that embrace AI thoughtfully are likely to find it becomes another tool that helps employees perform at their best, rather than a substitute for their skills.

The same has been true of previous technological advances. Cloud accounting software didn’t replace accountants – it changed the way we work, allowing us to spend less time processing information and more time providing valuable advice. AI is likely to follow a similar path.

For business owners, the message is simple: you don’t need to become an AI expert overnight. But it is worth keeping an eye on how these technologies develop and considering where they could make everyday operations more efficient.

Your next “team member” may not be another employee. It could be an AI assistant working alongside you and your staff, helping your business become more productive while allowing your people to focus on what they do best.

Contact Murray Patt directly via email: murray@alexanderknightaccountants.co.uk or call him on 0161 980 8788 to discuss his team becoming your new accountants.

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