While Others Worry About AI, Dr Vivian Lee Is Using It to Pull Ahead

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the business landscape, many companies are still asking whether AI will replace employees, introduce new risks or justify additional investment.

For Dr Vivian Lee, the more important question is not whether businesses should use AI, but how they can integrate it into the right processes.

The video presents a clear message: instead of waiting for AI technology to become perfect, businesses should begin understanding it, testing practical applications and helping their teams build the skills required to use it responsibly.

AI Is Changing How Professional Services Work

Accounting, tax, company secretarial and business advisory firms often handle large volumes of records, supporting documents, regulatory information, reports and internal communication.

AI can help teams organise information, identify unusual items, prepare preliminary analysis and reduce the time spent on repetitive tasks.

However, professional judgment remains essential. Accounting treatment, tax interpretation, regulatory compliance and business advice still require experienced professionals who understand the facts, context and risks behind each decision.

This means AI is unlikely to replace professional services entirely. Its stronger role is to help professionals spend less time on routine processing and more time on review, explanation and strategic advice.

For clients, this can lead to faster responses, clearer analysis and recommendations that are more closely connected to the actual business situation.

Businesses Need More Than Just an AI Tool

One common mistake is to purchase an AI platform or give employees access to new software without redesigning the surrounding workflow.

Effective AI adoption requires businesses to answer practical questions such as:

• Which repetitive tasks can be automated or supported by AI?
• Which information is confidential and should not be entered into public tools?
• Who is responsible for reviewing AI-generated output?
• How will the business ensure that tax, accounting and compliance conclusions remain accurate?
• How will errors be recorded, corrected and used to improve future processes?

AI transformation is therefore not only an IT project. Management, finance, tax, company secretarial and operations teams may all need to participate to ensure that the technology supports real business objectives.

How AI Can Improve Accounting and Financial Management

In accounting and finance, AI can support data classification, account reviews, document organisation and the preparation of management reports.

Where a business processes a large number of transactions, AI-supported tools may help identify duplicate records, unusual movements or items requiring further investigation.

Finance professionals can then focus on reviewing those exceptions instead of spending most of their time searching for them manually.

However, AI output should not be treated as a final accounting conclusion. The correct treatment may still depend on contracts, transaction substance, accounting policies and the company's actual circumstances.

How AI Can Support Tax and Compliance Work

Tax and compliance work often depends on regulatory updates, complete documentation and accurate filing procedures.

AI may help organise tax information, build review checklists, compare documents and highlight missing supporting records.

However, whether an expense is deductible, whether a transaction creates a particular tax obligation or whether a company qualifies for a specific treatment must still be assessed according to the actual facts and the rules in force at the relevant time.

This is a critical principle for professional firms using AI: technology can assist research and preparation, but it should not replace formal tax analysis or professional review.

For an integrated advisory firm such as KBM Apex, one of AI's most valuable applications is improving the flow of information across accounting, tax, company secretarial and advisory work.

A corporate change should not remain isolated within a single document. Changes involving shareholders, directors, capital or business arrangements may affect:

• Company secretarial records
• Accounting entries
• Tax treatment
• Audit documentation
• Management reporting
• Future business decisions

When information is organised and shared more effectively, businesses can identify inconsistencies earlier.

AI Will Not Fix a Broken Process Automatically

AI can accelerate work, but it can also accelerate the spread of incorrect information.

If customer records are incomplete, accounts are misclassified, documents are disorganised or employee responsibilities are unclear, adding AI will not solve the underlying problem.

In some cases, it may create more errors in less time.

Before adopting AI, businesses should first:

1. Identify the main source of information
2. Standardise documents and records
3. Assign responsibility for review
4. Set confidentiality and access controls
5. Establish a human approval process
6. Check AI output regularly for accuracy

AI becomes more useful when the underlying workflow is already clear and controlled.

Competitive Advantage Comes from Speed of Action, Not Only Budget

Large organisations may have bigger technology budgets, but SMEs are not automatically at a disadvantage.

Many AI tools have become easier and more affordable to use. A smaller business can begin with one specific process, such as organising internal documents, preparing meeting summaries, reviewing management reports or building an internal knowledge base.

The key is to define the problem clearly and test the solution within a controlled scope.

Rather than replacing entire systems at once, SMEs can take a gradual approach:

• Start with high-volume, low-risk tasks
• Establish a clear review process
• Measure time saved and issues found
• Expand only after the process is proven
• Continue developing employee skills

This reduces implementation risk and helps businesses avoid adopting technology simply because it is popular.

The AI Era Increases the Need for Professional Judgment

As AI makes it easier to generate reports, advice and analysis, the ability to judge whether information is reliable becomes more important.

A document may appear complete and professional while still containing incorrect accounting, tax or regulatory conclusions.

Businesses therefore need experienced people who can check the source data, understand the underlying transaction and determine whether the recommendation fits the situation.

The future competitiveness of professional service firms may depend less on how quickly they produce documents and more on whether they can:

• Use AI appropriately
• Identify errors in AI-generated output
• Understand the client's business model
• Connect financial, tax and governance information
• Turn complex information into practical advice

The direction presented by Dr Vivian Lee and KBM Apex reflects this shift. AI should not be viewed only as a cost-reduction tool. It can also strengthen service quality, improve decision-making and help professionals focus on higher-value work.

The full discussion and featured perspective can be viewed in the original YouTube video featuring Dr Vivian Lee .

Moving from AI Anxiety to AI Capability

Businesses do not need to follow every AI trend, but they should not stop exploring because of uncertainty.

A practical first step is to create basic AI-use guidelines and test one workflow where the results can be measured.

Management should also explain that the purpose of AI is not simply to reduce headcount. The stronger objective is to reduce low-value repetitive work so employees can focus on analysis, communication, client service and decision-making.

When technology, workflow and employee capability are developed together, AI can become a genuine competitive advantage.

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