On Sunday I was standing in the grocery store and asked ChatGPT for a soup recipe.
It gave me an ingredient list, cream included, and I shopped from it.
Once I got home, I printed the recipe and started cooking.
Season and brown the chicken breasts. Add them to the broth and vegetables. Let it all simmer for 20 minutes.
Then: add the cream.
I had bought the cream because it was on my shopping list, but it wasn’t anywhere on the printed recipe instructions.
There was no specified amount, no mention of the cream at all until that step.
And the chicken breasts were still whole in the pot.
Anyone who has made soup knows you’re not leaving whole chicken breasts in it, they needed to be diced or shredded.
But the recipe never flat out said so.
So I went back to ChatGPT and asked it to look over its own recipe and clean it up.
It fixed the cream but it didn’t fix the chicken, so I had to ask again.
I only knew the recipe was off because I cook often and read tons of recipes, but if I didn’t do those things, would I have known to question?
You can probably tell I’m a fan of AI.
I even spent the rest of that weekend using it to pull all my recipes together into the fourth edition of my cookbook.
It saved me hours, and I enjoyed every minute.
So this isn’t me telling you to stay away from AI by any means.
It’s just about knowing when the recipe is wrong.
Maybe you’ve asked AI to categorize transactions, explain your P&L, or build a cash forecast.
It makes sense because you’re busy and AI is fast.
The answer comes back looking finished, with clean formatting, a confident tone, and no hesitation at all.
But if you don’t know accounting, how would you know the cream was missing?
Would you know about a payout that never got recorded, inventory that was booked as an expense, or a forecast with no line for your next supplier deposit?
What concerns me isn’t that you’re using AI, but that you might make a big decision on an answer you didn’t realize needed fact checking.
You don’t have to become an accountant to use AI well.
Just ask the tool to show its steps. Check its work against one number you already know is right.
When it fixes one thing, don’t assume it fixed everything.
And before making a decision that matters, have someone who knows the recipe read it over.
I’d love to hear how you’re using AI in your business, and where it has surprised you. Hit reply and let’s discuss it.
Cyndi
Quick Summary
- The story: An AI-generated soup recipe listed cream as an ingredient but left it out of the steps, and never said to shred the chicken. Cyndi only caught it because she cooks often.
- The lesson: Using AI for accounting works the same way. Answers look finished and confident even when a step is missing.
- Common misses: An unrecorded marketplace payout, inventory booked as an expense instead of an asset, or a cash forecast with no line for the next supplier deposit.
- How to use AI well: Ask it to show its steps, check its work against one number you know is right, re-check everything after a fix, and have an expert review anything that drives a big decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is using AI for accounting safe for an ecommerce business?
AI is a helpful tool for categorizing transactions, explaining a P&L, or drafting a cash forecast, and it can save hours. The risk is that its answers look complete even when something is missing. Treat AI output as a first draft, not a final answer, especially before a decision about inventory, hiring, or debt.
What mistakes does AI make with ecommerce bookkeeping?
Common errors include missing or duplicated marketplace payouts, inventory purchases recorded as expenses instead of assets, fees netted out of sales instead of tracked separately, and cash forecasts that leave out supplier deposits, tax payments, or loan payments. If you don’t know what should be there, it’s hard to notice what isn’t.
How can I fact-check an AI answer about my finances?
Ask the tool to show every step and assumption. Compare its result to one number you already trust, such as your bank balance or last month’s payout total. When it corrects one error, review the whole answer again instead of assuming everything else is fixed.
When should I have a professional review an AI-generated forecast or report?
Before any decision that matters: placing a large inventory order, taking on debt, hiring, or paying yourself more. A fractional CFO or bookkeeper who knows ecommerce can spot the missing ingredient quickly, so you get the speed of AI without the risk of acting on an incomplete answer.
Can AI replace my bookkeeper or CFO?
Not yet. AI is fast at producing output, but it doesn’t know your business, your marketplace settlement timing, or your Profit First allocations. It works best alongside someone who knows the recipe and can tell when a step is wrong.
Want someone to check the recipe?
If you’re making decisions from AI-generated numbers and want a second set of expert eyes, the Your Profit Team can help you build financials and cash forecasts you can trust. Book a discovery call or take the Profit Quiz to see where your business stands.
Related reading: How Do I Read My Financials for Warning Signs of Trouble? · Profit vs Cash Flow · How a 13-Week Rolling Cash Plan Ends Cash Flow Anxiety
