CLA partners with Digits on AI-native accounting model

CLA has agreed to collaborate with Digits to build a proprietary AI-native accounting model, making it one of the first top 15 US accounting firms to train a firm model on an AI-native accounting platform.

The accounting and professional services firm will use Digits' platform and model-training technology to develop an in-house model trained on its own client base and workflows. The model is due to be deployed to thousands of current and future clients over the next three years.

Under the arrangement, every transaction CLA clients and professionals review, categorise or correct in the Digits system will help refine the model. The system is designed to draw on the firm's existing accounting judgment and operational processes rather than a general-purpose dataset.

The move comes as accounting firms face growing client demand for faster access to financial information and more frequent advice tied to daily operations. CLA wants to apply its institutional knowledge at scale while freeing professionals to spend more time on advisory work.

Jen Leary, Chief Executive Officer at CLA, outlined the firm's view of how AI should be used in the sector.

"This moment demands a clear point of view: AI should not belong only to the biggest companies and the biggest firms with the largest budgets. It should reach the people who power the heartbeat of the country, who create jobs, serve communities, and move America forward. Most of the companies we evaluated had tacked AI onto decades-old software. Digits started over and built the right technological solution for the AI era. They are visionaries. They are bold. And they are built for where accounting is going. Together, we're going to deliver on the promise of AI-native accounting. We want our clients to know: With Digits, we are putting Financials in your pocket. Advisors in your corner."

First rollout

CLA will first offer the system to clients in its Client Accounting and Advisory Services practice, where it will be available as an option within existing service levels. That practice accounts for roughly 15% of the firm's more than USD $2 billion in annual revenue.

According to CLA, the CAAS business serves tens of thousands of privately held businesses and sits close to clients' day-to-day financial operations. That gives the firm a large body of recurring transaction data and workflow activity on which to train its model.

The firm cited sectors including restaurants, contractors, manufacturers, civic organisations and nonprofits. Those clients increasingly want financial insight delivered more quickly and in a form that supports business decisions as issues emerge, rather than only at period end.

Digits, founded by Jeff Seibert, provides an accounting platform built around an AI-native ledger. It will supply the underlying platform and the tools needed to train a firm-specific model, while CLA will contribute the accounting expertise and client-service knowledge needed to shape the output.

Jeff Seibert, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Digits, said the relationship reflects the importance of professional judgment in accounting.

"Business owners depend on their accountants for financial judgment, guidance, and peace of mind. And few firms deliver on that with the scale, tenure, and client empathy that CLA brings. By encoding decades of judgment and knowledge into a firm model that benefits clients, Digits empowers CLA's professionals to spend their time where it matters most."

Advisory focus

For CLA, the project is also tied to workforce deployment inside the firm. Using a trained internal model should reduce time spent on routine accounting tasks and allow more time for business consulting and client-facing advisory work.

That emphasis was echoed by Josh Enger, CLA's Chief Outsourcing Officer, who said the system is intended to support both existing and prospective clients while evolving around their needs.

"With Digits, we are not only able to offer our current and future clients a new digital solution, but we will test and grow and learn in a model specifically designed for our clients. This is a fundamentally unique experience for our clients, allowing our professionals to spend more time helping clients get value from their financial data and make informed business decisions. Even more so than before, we can provide business consulting services that move our clients forward."

The collaboration highlights a broader shift in the accounting software market, as firms move beyond adding AI tools to existing systems and instead test models trained on their own workflows and review histories. In CLA's case, the firm is seeking to turn the corrections, classifications and decisions made by its professionals into a reusable internal model for client service.

CLA employs nearly 9,000 people and has more than 120 locations in the United States. The new model will first target a large advisory practice that already works closely with the daily finances of privately held businesses.