As AI automates the transactional tasks that once defined the profession, accounting faces a critical identity crisis. The hope is that this liberates practitioners to move from "bean counters" to strategic business advisors, but that is easier said than done.

CPA Australia President Dale Pinto joins the Breakfast Grille to discuss the 17th Small Business Survey, why trust remains the industry’s primary currency, and how human ethics remain the ultimate safeguard against future corporate scandals. He also warns of a mounting skills gap as graduates use AI to bypass the foundational work that historically forged professional skepticism.