Big Four Firms Roll Out AI That Can Handle Routine Tasks Solo

The next generation of artificial intelligence has arrived at the Big Four firms, promising to upend the core work of their legions of accountants and business consultants.

Deloitte, the largest of the four, and competitor Ernst & Young said this week that they are diving into new autonomous AI tools that can walk clients through routine tasks like uploading documents needed for tax returns and take on more complex work analyzing financial statements. The technology falls into a category known as agentic AI.

PwC, also known as PricewaterhouseCoopers, has also developed such capabilities, known as agents, ...