AI surpasses CPAs in speed and accuracy on structured accounting tasks, study finds

VERA Brief

AI-generated. Grounded in the article and its cited sources.

A Mercor study found that current AI models now perform better than licensed CPAs in speed and accuracy for structured accounting tasks. However, AI still requires human oversight for complex financial reporting and was unable to fully complete all tasks on the APEX Benchmark.

Key facts

• Current artificial intelligence models now exceed the performance of licensed Certified Public Accountants in executing structured accounting tasks.
• AI models have shown improvements in both speed and accuracy for structured accounting tasks.
• 18 months prior, AI models still lagged considerably behind human accountants.
• No AI model was able to fully complete all designated tasks on the APEX Benchmark.
• Human supervision remains essential for the comprehensive process of closing financial books.