Kacee Johnson

Advisor | Board Member | Innovation Partner. Top 25 Thought Leader/Top 100 Most Influential. Principal at be radical

[Digits @digits]

"We can't just walk out of the room and say, 'You got this, Watson. You're all set.'"

Danny Werfel's warning to firms and tax authorities: don't let efficiency gains push the human out of the decision chair.

He's already seeing the pattern play out. Firms implement an agent on top of tax prep, it saves preparers four hours a day - and leadership either cuts headcount or just piles more compliance work onto the people who are left. Either way, oversight erodes.

The efficiency is real. The mistake is treating it as a reason to remove the human, rather than a reason to reinvest in judgment.

Full episode with Danny Werfel in comments.

[Digits @digits]

AI in tax is moving fast, and the risks are moving just as fast.

@DannyWerfel, the 50th Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, joins @KaceeJ to discuss what responsible AI adoption should look like across the tax profession.

The conversation examines:

“Extraordinary productivity gains shouldn’t automatically mean removing people from the process.”

“Accuracy isn’t enough. AI systems must also be auditable, transparent, and governed.”

“If AI performs the work traditionally given to junior professionals, how will the next generation develop the judgment required to supervise it?”

The goal isn’t to slow AI adoption. It’s to make sure the profession understands what it is deploying, and who remains accountable when something goes wrong.

AI should sit beside the tax professional, not take their chair. A conversation every accountant and tax professional should hear.

Link in the comments.

[Kacee Johnson @KaceeJ]

It was a pleasure to sit down with Danny Werfel, 50th Commissioner of the IRS, for the latest AI Native Accounting podcast. He’s developed an extensive AI Risk Framework for tax authorities, firms & vendors. Watch the full episode on YouTube #AI #Risk

https://t.co/HG7SQQjowd

[Forbes Technology Council @ForbesTechCncl]

How To Secure The AI Features Hiding Inside Your Sanctioned SaaS Apps https://t.co/YyuirzrUhh Written by Nidhi Jain of @cloudeagleai

[Forbes Technology Council @ForbesTechCncl]

Redesigning Entry-Level Tech Roles To Build Better Judgment https://t.co/GV0l8YebNT from @infinitysts @Wissen_Infotech @kaceej @guicklyai @muditsingh5000 @blackbox_ns and more

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"It's not just about what a job pays. It's about the value you create for society."

Barry Melancon spent 30 years leading the AICPA, and this idea shaped his view of the accounting profession.

He explains why being a CPA is about far more than technical expertise.

Watch the full conversation.

[Digits @digits]

Can you trust what AI creates?

Barry Melancon explains why assurance plays a critical role in helping businesses trust AI-generated information and the systems behind it.

He also shares how AI will reshape the way audits are performed.

Hear his full perspective.

[Kacee Johnson @KaceeJ]

In the latest AI Native Dispatch we take a look at the firm maturity ladder and how the AI adoption curve is starting to take shape in accounting & finance
https://t.co/7LxrCM1FHr
#AInative #accounting

[Digits @digits]

Leadership looks different from the inside.

After leading the AICPA for three decades, Barry Melancon shares how his role at Baker Tilly International gave him a firsthand look at the execution and prioritization challenges firms face every day.

Watch the full episode now.

[Jeff Seibert @jeffseibert]

We wrote a book! 📗

Today, @Robilton and I are publishing Zero Entry: The Unstoppable Forces Reshaping the Accounting Profession — and the Opportunity of a Lifetime.

[Kacee Johnson @KaceeJ]

@davidleary Haha! I’m sending this to my husband. Or maybe not… 🤔

[Kacee Johnson @KaceeJ]

Tomorrow, July 24th is the last day to nominate a top woman in accounting for @ignitionapp awards. Recognize those making a difference! #WomenInAccounting

[Digits @digits]

The future of entry-level accounting looks different.

Barry Brown, founder of EBITDA Advisors, explains why audit and tax skills alone won't prepare new accounting graduates for what's next.

Tune in to the full episode for more. Link in the comments.

[Digits @digits]

AI may be the first technology that lets small firms compete like large ones, yet most firms don't know how to take advantage of it.

Barry Brown, advisory council member of the AINA Foundation, has spent almost 30 years helping accounting firms adopt new technology.

Joined by Bebe Kim and Kacee Johnson live at Scaling New Heights, he explains where to focus: broken processes, inaccessible data, employee adoption, and the foundational work most firms overlook in the race to implement AI.

[Kacee Johnson @KaceeJ]

Congratulations to the 2026 AI Native Accounting Award Winners! https://t.co/r3oeqypzu2 @AccountingToday #AINative @Armanino_HQ @cbz @AngelZhenCPA @financialoptics

[ConvergenceCoaching @ConvergenceSays]

Is your team using AI "off-road" or without official permission?. Post-peak season, create a "safe space" for team members to share their unsanctioned AI wins without fear of reprimand. Gathering these best use cases helps the entire firm stay competitive and get smarter.

Join us every Monday at 4:15 pm CT/ 5:15 pm ET for the ConvergenceCoaching HR Huddle where we explore the latest trends in talent management and HR! https://t.co/poC9ZwwXpj

[Kacee Johnson @KaceeJ]

Congratulations to the 2026 AI Native Accounting Award Winners! Recognizing real progress by firms and practitioners, stay tuned for case studies and podcast episodes with the honorees https://t.co/zNtLe2Skcw

[Tom Hood @tomhood]

As one of the O.G.s of the Thought Leaaders Symposium - this is how I started ouout #ENGAGE26 (and missed the pic) These are some of the 'Giants whose shoulders I stand on' Thanks @gperrycpa Isaac and team @cpapracadvisor for convening this annual exercise #CPATLS26 https://t.co/9rWH9CyC2t

[Harvard Business Review @HarvardBiz]

AI is redefining senior leadership, executive, C-suite, and board roles just as profoundly as entry-level roles—though the change is quieter and more structural.

For example, there’s little risk that the CFO role disappears, but also a very small probability that the attributes, skills, and behaviors that made CFOs successful or effective in the past continue to make them successful or effective in the future.

The implications are profound, forcing organizations to hire and promote senior leaders less for what they have done in the past, and more for what they could do in the future.

To understand the broad impact of AI on leadership, shift from seeing AI as a tool (or range of tools) to a leadership challenge—if not the defining leadership challenge of our times.

https://t.co/BL6HIMZnqF

[Digits @digits]

Culture isn’t built by forcing everyone into the same model.

Former @AICPA Chair @Carlamccall1 explains why flexibility paired with accountability can strengthen firms, not weaken them.

Watch the full episode on AI-Native Accounting.