Artificial intelligence reduces the pain of online bookkeeping

Bench, a Vancouver-based online accounting firm, has transformed its bookkeeping business with artificial intelligence. The series: We look at decision makers among Canada's mid-sized companies who took successful action in a competitive global digital economy. Whether someone grows up wanting to be a photographer, a writer or to partake in any other skilled freelance or self-employed craft, they generally don't get into it for the love of filing taxes. But that's exactly where Ian Crosby sees Bench, a Vancouver-based online accounting firm, fitting into the work landscape, helping small businesses to stay on top of their financial obligations. "They start bringing in money and all of a sudden the government is like, 'Hey, you have to do this very specific math thing or you're in big trouble,' " says the co-founder and chief executive officer of one of North America's largest bookkeeping services.