A clear gap has opened between AI ambition and AI execution in accounting. A new FloQast industry study finds that 85% of accounting teams have made AI a strategic priority, yet only 10% are using it extensively, with most describing adoption as limited or partial. For Irish accountancy firms, where formal AI governance remains similarly underdeveloped, the findings offer a useful and encouraging benchmark for closing that gap deliberately, rather than a reason for concern about the profession's readiness.

This disconnect deserves to be read as a solvable sequencing problem rather than a failure of ambition. The study found the barriers holding teams back have less to do with technology than with trust, training and governance, a pattern echoed closely across Ireland's own accountancy and finance sector. The findings point to three priorities for finance leadership: understanding the true scale of the execution gap, addressing its governance root cause, and recognising how well positioned Irish accountancy already is to close it ahead of international peers.

The scale of the gap is striking globally. Organisations pulling ahead are not simply those with the most advanced tools but those where leadership built controls, governance structures and team capability before scaling AI investment. FloQast's research, based on accounting and finance professionals across the US and UK, identified five distinct levels of AI maturity, with only a small group of firms reaching consistent, everyday use.

Ireland shows a strikingly similar pattern, even as momentum builds. PwC Ireland research found just 21% of organisations have formal AI governance structures in place, though this is a marked rise from 7% in mid 2024. Encouragingly, EY Ireland's CFO Survey found AI adoption within finance functions jumped from 12% to 47% year on year, with 60% of finance leaders now investing directly in upskilling their teams.

Irish accountancy bodies are already stepping into this exact gap. Chartered Accountants Ireland, marking a milestone of more than 40,000 members, recently published a position paper framing accountants as trusted advisers who will guide SMEs through responsible AI adoption, calling for stronger infrastructure and accessible supports for smaller advisory firms and their clients.

Firms can act now to convert this ambition into results. Building governance and controls before scaling any AI tool will reduce risk and strengthen client confidence. Structured training programmes should be prioritised alongside technology investment, not after it. Advisory firms should formalise their own AI governance frameworks early, positioning themselves as the trusted guides their clients already expect them to be.

The overall picture is genuinely encouraging for Irish accountancy leadership and the wider finance sector. With adoption accelerating and professional bodies actively closing the governance gap, disciplined execution now could turn today's ambition into a durable competitive advantage.