Companies that win with AI don’t just automate. They rethink everything.

Companies that win with AI don’t just automate. They rethink everything.

Many founders are asking themselves the same question: how much of their company will still look the same in five years? For TimVandecasteele, co-founder of Die van de boekhouding, the answer is clear. AI is not simply a productivity tool. It is forcing companies to rethink processes, team structures and even entire business models. At the AI Summer School in Ostend this September, Vandecasteele will share how his company is using AI and agents to redesign accounting from the ground up.

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Many companies are experimenting with AI. What are they still getting wrong?

Tim Vandecasteele: “Most companies focus on automating individual tasks. They ask: where can AI save us time? That's a useful question, but it's not the most important one.”

“The bigger opportunity is to rethink the entire process. AI allows you to challenge assumptions that have existed for years. Instead of asking how technology fits into your current way of working, you should ask whether your current way of working still makes sense at all.”

“That is much harder, especially for established organisations, because it often means questioning the structure that made you successful in the first place.”

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Your company is taking a different approach than many traditional accounting firms. How so?

Vandecasteele: “We started from a blank sheet of paper. Traditional accounting firms are organised around individual account managers who own specific client relationships and files.”

“We don't work that way. In our model, the system becomes the file manager. AI continuously prepares, documents and transfers knowledge.That means any accountant can become the expert on a client's file within minutes.”

“As a result, we can organise work very differently. The process becomes more scalable, more standardised and ultimately more efficient.”

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Does that mean AI will replace people?

Vandecasteele: “No. It means the role of people changes.”

“At our company, every accountant spends a significant part of their time talking to clients. We want people to focus on judgment, advice and human interaction. AI handles much of the preparation, administration and knowledge transfer in the background.”

“The human element becomes more valuable, not less. But the type of profile companies need will change.”

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What kind of talent will companies need in an AI-first world?

Vandecasteele: “One of the challenges is that many of the traditional junior tasks are disappearing.”

“In accounting, a lot of the work typically done by interns or junior employees can now be automated. That means companies increasingly need people who can oversee processes, work with customers and collaborate effectively with AI systems.”

“We're already seeing a shift towards more senior profiles.The big question for many industries is how they will continue to develop and train the next generation of talent when so much entry-level work disappears.”

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Why are established companies struggling to move faster?

Vandecasteele: “Because they face the innovator's dilemma.”

“Many large organisations know change is coming, but fully embracing it would require them to cannibalise parts of their existing business. That's never easy.”

“The companies that move fastest are often those without legacy systems, legacy processes or legacy incentives. They can redesign everything from the ground up instead of trying to optimise yesterday's model.”

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Why does an initiative like the AI Summer School matter today?

Vandecasteele: “Because nobody has all the answers.”

“AI is evolving at an incredible pace. Something that didn't work a month ago may work perfectly today. New models, new workflows and new capabilities appear almost every week.”

“The only way to keep up is to learn from other founders and operators who are running experiments themselves. You need to hear what is working, what isn't, and where people are seeing real impact.”

“That's why I believe gatherings like the AI Summer School are so valuable. The conversation is no longer about which AI tool to use. It's about how companies should organise themselves, how they should build teams, and what their business model should look like in a world where AI changes the rules faster than ever before.”

AI Summer School takes place from 9–11 September inOstend and brings together a curated group of founders and senior leaders toexplore how AI is reshaping organisations, teams and business models. Speakers include operators from companies such as Collibra, Tekst.ai, Nexus Agents, ML6,TechWolf and many others.

👉 Interested? Check https://www.scaleupflanders.com/services/ai-summer-school-2026