We’re Not Building a Bot. We’re Training an Accountant

When most vendors say “AI for accounting,” they really mean: it can do GenAI or it can do a task or two.

When we say it, we mean: Archie is learning to be an accountant.

And we mean it literally. We are training Archie to pass the CPA exam.

We are not here to bolt generic AI into a spreadsheet or dashboard;  we choose to do something different, something much harder, and much more important.

We’re building a teammate, an accountant who reads the same textbooks, follows the same regulations, and one day could walk into your firm and start helping on day one.

During a recent conversation with one of our design partner firms, Stuart  walked through what it really takes to train Archie.

“We’re not just taking a horizontal model and saying, ‘Be an accountant.’ We’re loading real textbooks, real journals, real accounting regulations—like actual FASB texts—into Archie. We’re training the base model from the ground up to think like an accountant.”

This isn’t prompt engineering. This is brain surgery.

This is how we’re training Archie to become an accountant.

#1 Archie Goes to Accounting School

We don’t prompt Archie to act like an accountant. We train him to be one.

We start with a powerful base model and rewiring its foundation through a combination of full and prefix fine tuning. We begin with a strong base, then we feed it knowledge similar to the way a real human learns it.

We’re talking real accounting education: GAAP, IFRS, FASB regulations, CPA prep materials, academic journals, industry guides, and more.

Then we:

• Extract the text
• Convert every table and image into structured JSON
• Chunk it by chapter and page
• Feed it all into Archie’s training pipeline

We don’t just upload PDFs and hope for the best. We scan, chunk, structure, and test every piece of content to ensure Archie actually learns the material.

“It’s like planting the brain of an accountant inside the model,” Stuart explains. “And it means it won’t be great at politics or pets anymore—but it will know accounting like a pro.”

It’s costly and time-consuming. It’s also necessary for our long term success.

This is how we “tilt” the model from general-purpose AI into an accounting brain.

Once the content is loaded, we test Archie’s knowledge the way any accountant would be tested: with thousands of CPA-style questions, pulled from the very material it’s being trained on. And it’s not just about right answers—it’s about learning to reason like an accountant.

Questions like:

“Which of the following violates the revenue recognition principle under GAAP?”

“Explain the concept of ‘going concern’ and how it impacts financial statements.”

“Under ASC 842, how should a lessee classify a lease with both fixed and variable payments?”

And we don’t stop until he’s answering like someone who’s sat for the exam.

This is how Archie builds the judgment to flag issues, explain variances, and ask intelligent follow-ups. Not just what happened—but why.

#2 He Gets His Regional Credentials

Archie’s global from day one—but accounting isn’t.

So we train him on the regulatory frameworks of the countries where he’ll work: starting with the United States, then expanding to UK, Canada, and Australia.

That means he doesn’t just know what ASC 606 is—he knows how to apply it. He doesn’t just recognize a tax code—he understands the impact.

This is how we make sure that when Archie walks into a US firm, he speaks your language. And when he lands in Toronto, London, or Melbourne, he adjusts accordingly.

#3 Archie Picks a Major and a Career Path

Accountants don’t just work in “accounting.” Neither will Archie.

We’re training him across every discipline, but to start, we’re going deep in the ones that unlock the most impactful workstreams:

• Advisory
• CFO Services
• Wealth & Investment
• Bookkeeping

On top of that, Archie is learning how different industries work. Because doing books for a McDonald’s franchise is nothing like doing them for a private equity firm.

The industries we train Archie on will depend on you—our design partners and early adopters. We’re running hundreds of interviews every month to understand where he can drive the most impact.

Want to influence Archie’s next major? Book a time to chat with me or Stuart!

#4 Archie starts his internship

Once Archie has the fundamentals, the specializations, and the regional nuance, he’s ready to get to work.

That’s where you come in.

We onboard Archie just like you would a new hire:

• He gets access to your GL, budgeting tool, CRM, practice management system and shared drives
• We walk him through your processes
• We answer his questions
• We teach him how your firm works

This isn’t a plug-and-play integration. It’s an onboarding. Archie learns how you and your firm work. That’s when the magic happens. Archie becomes:

• The analyst who spots missing accruals
• The assistant who suggests journal entries
• The intern who already knows where everything lives

From there, Archie starts helping out:

• Spotting anomalies in budget vs actuals
• Recommending accrual entries
• Asking smart questions about prepaid schedules
• Surfacing insights from contracts and client files
• Getting smarter with every interaction

He’s not perfect yet. But he’s getting sharper by the day.

And here’s the best part: Archie wants feedback. Every correction, every confirmation, it all helps him get better, faster.

Would you like Archie to intern at your firm?

We’re inviting a small group of firms to be part of Archie’s early internship program.

If you’re ready for AI that doesn’t just automate, if you want a teammate who actually understands accounting and learns how your firm works, join the waitlist.

Let’s train the future of accounting together.