Demo Days: what firms should consider when evaluating AI and automation
Technology
August 27, 2026PrimeGlobal's 2026 Demo Days brought together Alliance Partners and member firms to explore the technologies shaping the future of accounting and advisory practices.
Across 36 demonstrations, Alliance Partners showcased solutions spanning AI, audit, tax, practice management and firm operations, while member firms shared firsthand implementation experiences, lessons learned and practical advice for peers considering similar investments.
A practical framework for evaluating AI and automation
AI and automation emerged as recurring themes throughout Demo Days—not only in dedicated AI sessions, but also within audit, tax, workflow and practice management solutions.
Based on the themes that emerged throughout Demo Days, firms considering AI and automation initiatives should first ask eight key questions:
- Problem: What specific challenge are we trying to solve?
- Workflow: How will this fit into the way our teams already work?
- Verification: Can outputs be traced back to reliable source information and reviewed with confidence?
- Firm knowledge: Can the solution reflect our methodology, processes and expertise?
- Implementation and adoption: How will we roll it out, gain staff buy-in and encourage consistent use?
- Value: How will we measure whether the investment is delivering meaningful business outcomes?
- Strategy: How does the technology support our firm's broader goals?
- Peer experience: What can we learn from firms that have already implemented the technology?
Let's dive into some of these in more detail.
1. Start with the problem, not the technology
The most successful technology initiatives begin with a business challenge rather than a product search.
Across the demonstrations, firms discussed tackling issues such as manual preparation, fragmented workflows, review bottlenecks, knowledge silos and administrative burdens.
Firm experience:
Pinion's experience with Xero demonstrates the importance of solving a specific business need. Chris Tozlian, Principal at Pinion, explained that the firm once needed an application that was not available in the marketplace. Rather than compromise, Pinion developed its own solution, connected it to Xero and now uses it with dozens of clients.
The example demonstrates that technology evaluation does not always mean selecting an existing product. Sometimes the right solution starts with clearly defining the firm's needs and determining what technology is required to address them.
2. Workflow matters more than features
Several demonstrations emphasized that AI alone is rarely the answer.
Integration, data flow and reducing the need to switch between multiple systems were frequently highlighted as priorities. In practice, a solution that works seamlessly within a firm's existing processes may deliver more value than a feature-rich platform that creates additional complexity.
Firm experience:
JOINSON&SPICE's experience with RobotX illustrates the importance of looking beyond individual tasks to the broader workflow. Gerke van Garderen explained that the firm had previously relied on manual work and other software for portions of its audit process. While those tools addressed specific needs, the firm wanted to go further rather than continuing to receive files, manually move information into Excel and perform the remaining work afterward.
The goal was not simply to automate one task, but to rethink how technology could support more of the overall audit process.
3. Context matters more than capability
A recurring theme across the AI sessions was that firms are moving beyond generic AI tools and toward solutions that can incorporate firm knowledge, methodology and context.
Firm experience:
CRI's experience with Caseware demonstrates how technology decisions can be shaped by a firm's methodology and long-term goals. Leslie Rahn Robinson explained that CRI treated its implementation not simply as a software conversion, but as part of a broader target operating model focused on creating one firm, one audit methodology and greater consistency across its assurance practice.
Rather than limiting its evaluation to a small group of technology-forward users, CRI piloted the platform across multiple offices, industries, engagement types and levels of experience. This allowed the firm to assess not only the technology, but also its methodology, usability and implementation readiness.
4. Trust requires verification
As AI becomes more embedded within professional workflows, trust becomes increasingly important.
Many demonstrations highlighted features such as source references, citations, audit trails and review workflows. These capabilities help professionals understand where information originates and support quality control processes.
For firms adopting AI, verification should be considered at both the technology and firm level. Firms need to understand how outputs are generated, where information comes from and how professionals will review and validate results before they are incorporated into client work.
For you and for your clients, confidence in an output often depends on whether that answer can be verified, explained and defended.
5. Adoption remains the biggest challenge
Member firms repeatedly highlighted that successful implementation depends on people as much as technology. Staff adoption remains one of the most important determinants of long-term success.
Larking Gowen's experience with Beeye demonstrates the importance of managing the transition as carefully as evaluating the technology itself. James Nichols explained how the firm introduced the new scheduling platform alongside its existing process, giving employees time to adjust while encouraging them to begin using the new system. The firm was also looking for technology that could support employee development and strengthen client relationships by helping ensure the right people were assigned to engagements.
Bryan Gruber from LSL CPA also highlighted the importance of user engagement, training and change management when implementing new technology. These experiences reinforce that selecting a solution may take weeks or months, but embedding it into day-to-day working practices often takes considerably longer.
6. Technology decisions should support firm strategy
While efficiency gains remain important, many discussions focused on broader outcomes.
Firms are increasingly evaluating technology based on its ability to improve quality, enhance employee experience, create capacity, strengthen client service and support consistency across teams.
Firm experience:
Boulay's experience with LumiQ demonstrates how technology can support broader talent and development goals. Erin McCoy explained that Boulay was looking for a learning platform that could serve the entire firm, not just employees who needed CPE. The firm uses the platform to build a common language across teams and expose employees to different areas of the business, helping them explore potential career paths within the firm.
This illustrates an important consideration when evaluating technology: the value of an investment may extend beyond immediate efficiency gains to areas such as employee development, engagement and retention.
7. Measure outcomes, not software licences
Another recurring lesson was the importance of measuring value after implementation.
Purchasing software is relatively easy. Demonstrating meaningful business impact is harder.
Firm experience:
Fieldguide highlighted the importance of looking beyond whether a firm owns or has licensed a technology and instead examining how actively it is being used. Engagement and workflow data can provide insight into adoption and performance, helping firms understand whether technology is actually changing how work gets done.
The broader lesson is that firms should establish measures that demonstrate whether an investment is delivering meaningful results. Whether the goal is improving workflow, strengthening client service, supporting employee development or creating capacity, these outcomes often provide a clearer picture of success than licence counts or user numbers alone.
8. Learn from peers, not just providers
One of the distinguishing features of Demo Days was the opportunity to hear directly from firms already using these technologies.
Technology providers can demonstrate features and functionality. Member firms can share why they selected a solution, how they implemented it, what challenges they encountered and whether it delivered the expected results.
Ultimately, peer experiences can help firms move from asking "What can this technology do?" to asking "Would this work for us?"
PrimeGlobal members can access recordings from all Demo Days 2026 sessions.
