AI Age: Where Sage Is Headed – Expert Insights with Phil Hobden

“Artificial intelligence isn’t future tech for Sage: we are already using it to reshape how accountants work, how they collaborate with clients, and how they deliver value. From embedded automation to proactive AI agents, Sage is investing in AI that helps accountants reduce admin, improve insights, and strengthen client relationships.” – Phil Hobden, Head of Business Development at Sage.

To understand where Sage is headed in this AI age, Ace Cloud Hosting spoke with Phil Hobden, Head of Business Development at Sage, to explore how AI transforms the accounting profession.  

With over 15 years of experience in fintech and financial services, Phil has worked with leading organizations such as NatWest, Wolters Kluwer, and Visma, helping launch and scale go-to-market strategies across the UK and beyond. He now focuses on empowering accountants through innovation and technology-led solutions at Sage.  

In this conversation, he shares how Sage is embedding AI across its platform, why trust and transparency remain non-negotiable, and how AI agents are designed to support accountants while keeping professional judgement firmly in human hands.  

Q1. How do you see AI shaping the future of Sage products over the next 3–5 years?  

AI at Sage will continue to evolve from automating individual tasks to delivering more connected, intelligent experiences across entire workflows.  

Today, Sage AI already supports categorization, compliance readiness, and insight generation within our products. Over the next few years, we’ll see greater adoption of AI Agents – specialist capabilities that can complete end-to-end processes, anticipate what’s needed next, and act proactively on the customer’s behalf.  

Crucially, this all happens within the permissions customers set. Accountants remain firmly in control, with full transparency and auditability. AI works quietly in the background to reduce admin and surface opportunities, not to replace professional judgement.  

Q2. As Sage embeds more AI into its products, how does Sage protect customer data privacy?  

Trust is foundational to how Sage builds AI. Our capabilities are developed on the Sage Platform, purpose-built for finance, payroll and compliance, and trained on decades of domain expertise.  

AI features operate strictly within existing user roles and access permissions, with clear audit trails and approval processes. Customer data is never used outside agreed boundaries and is only applied to deliver value for that specific customer.  

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Q3. What challenges do organizations typically face when adopting AI features, and how can they overcome them?  

The biggest challenges tend to be trust, clarity, and change management. Teams want to understand what AI is doing, where it fits into their workflows, and whether they remain in control.  

That’s why Sage focuses on opt-in experiences, transparency, and AI that’s embedded directly into familiar workflows rather than sitting off to one side. Clear audit trails, explainable outcomes, and practical training all help build confidence.  
 
When AI is introduced as a way to remove friction, not add complexity, adoption follows naturally.  

Q4. Can customers opt in or opt out of specific AI features while still retaining full functionality?  

Yes. Customers remain in control at all times. Accountants can choose which AI features or AI Agents to activate, and core product functionality continues to work fully without them.  

Sage Copilot and AI Agents operate as support mechanisms; guiding, automating, and recommending. But the professional remains accountable for decisions. As we often say internally: AI assists, but the accountant is always in the driving seat.  

Q5. Do you see AI within Sage reducing routine work and enabling accountants to focus on advisory and strategic roles?  

Absolutely. One of the clearest benefits we’re already seeing is the removal of low-value, repetitive work. AI Agents can handle tasks like data entry, document chasing, reconciliations, and compliance preparation.  

For example, the MTD for Income Tax Agent is designed to reduce admin by segmenting clients, prompting for missing information, flagging issues early and supporting submissions.  

That frees accountants to focus on higher-value conversations – helping clients understand performance, plan ahead, and make better decisions.  

Q6. What common misconceptions about AI do you see among Sage customers today?  

A common misconception is that AI will replace accountants. In reality, Sage’s AI is designed to augment professionals – reducing errors, removing admin, and improving insight – not replace expertise or judgement.  
 
Another myth is that AI requires a complex setup or specialist skills. With experiences like Sage Copilot, AI is embedded directly into the products accountants already use, often requiring little or no configuration.  
 
The goal is simple: make powerful capabilities accessible, trusted, and genuinely useful in day-to-day work. 

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Where Practical AI Meets Professional Control?

What stands out in Sage’s approach is clarity of intent. AI is not being positioned as a replacement for accountants, but as an assistant that removes friction from daily work. By handling repetitive tasks, flagging issues early, and supporting compliance workflows, AI creates space for deeper client conversations and better decisions. 

Phil’s perspective reinforces an important shift. The firms that benefit most from AI will be those that treat it as part of their operating model, not a bolt-on feature. When AI is embedded within trusted systems, governed by clear permissions, and aligned with real workflows, adoption becomes natural rather than forced. 

As AI continues to evolve inside platforms like Sage, the future of accounting looks less about managing transactions and more about guiding outcomes. The tools may change, but accountability, trust, and expertise remain firmly in the professional’s hands. 

At Ace Cloud Hosting, we see firms of all sizes using Sage applications like Sage 50 Cloud embracing cloud technology and AI to free up time, elevate client conversations, and make smarter decisions. As workflows automate and real-time collaboration becomes the norm, accountants must evolve into technology-driven advisors.