Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and robotic process automation are transforming every industry, and finance and accounting in particular are undergoing enormous change. The Wall Street Journal reports that two-thirds of large global companies expect to automate some or most of their finance departments' tasks during the next few years. Increasingly, software and machines are performing such tasks as processing data and closing the books, leaving accountants to focus on higher-level jobs such as analysis and decision support. In contrast with more traditional accounting functions, these tasks will not be automated anytime soon. According to a 2016