Can AI Replace “Thought Leaders”? A 2026 Reality Check

Think AI will free you from ‘mundane bookkeeping’ so you can do advisory? Blake and David say it’s the opposite. Hear how owners already use AI as a de facto CFO, why drafting narratives—not matching bank feeds—is the real win, what the ‘AI premium’ means in a billable-hour world, and the two numbers firm owners should track in 2026: monthly recurring revenue and bottom-line profit.


Chapters
  • (01:35) - News Highlights and Sponsor Acknowledgements
  • (03:56) - AI in Small Business Accounting
  • (07:04) - AI's Impact on Accounting Tasks
  • (10:01) - Thought Leader Survey on AI in Accounting
  • (19:56) - AI Premium and Job Automation
  • (25:27) - Survey Answers from Accounting Thought Leaders
  • (25:54) - AI's Role in Strategy and Decision Making
  • (28:24) - Impact of AI on Competitive Landscape
  • (30:50) - AI's Effect on Costs in Accounting Firms
  • (31:54) - AI Replacing Staff Accountants
  • (33:24) - Personal Job Security and AI
  • (41:05) - AI Influencers and Future Experiments
  • (49:24) - Conclusion and CPE Information
 

Show Notes
These Small-Business Owners Are Putting AI to Good Use
https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/small-business-ai-chatgpt-prompts-0c9a95c4
 
 
 
How Much is the 'AI Premium?' 
 
AI Can't Replace Accountants. When Could It? 
 
 
AI Vending Machine Lost $1,000 to Social Engineering
https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anthropic-ai-claude-vending-machine-c7baef6f
 
Anthropic's Project Vend Phase 2 
 
Trump Commutes Sentence of Private Equity CEO Convicted of Fraud
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/01/politics/david-gentile-trump-pardon
 
 
California's Controversial Wealth Tax Proposal Leaves Billionaires With Little Way Out
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/08/california-wealth-tax-proposal-leaves-billionaires-with-little-way-out.html
 
California Could Impose a Billionaire Tax. Here's How It Would Work
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-billionaire-tax-ballot-initiative-how-it-works/
 
New Tax on the Wealth of Billionaires 

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Transcripts
The full transcript for this episode is available by clicking on the Transcript tab at the top of this page

Creators and Guests

David Leary
Host
David Leary
President and Founder, Sombrero Apps Company
Can AI Replace “Thought Leaders”? A 2026 Reality Check
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