6 strategies for helping accounting firms keep up with agentic AI

Cathy Rowe is senior vice president and segment leader, US Professional Market, Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting North America.

AI success requires sustained investment, iterative experimentation, and a commitment to evolve alongside the technology

AI isn’t just knocking on the door of the tax and accounting industry; it has kicked it wide open. According to Wolters Kluwer’s Future Ready Accountant survey, just 9% of firms reported implementing AI‑enabled tools in 2024. Fast‑forward one year, and that figure has jumped to 41%. Nearly one‑third of tax and accounting professionals say they now use AI for work‑related tasks every day.

This isn’t incremental change. It’s a seismic shift.

AI, in all its forms, is transforming how work gets done in real time. In tax and accounting, agentic AI is moving beyond basic automation to orchestrate entire workflows—from document classification and transaction categorization to audit preparation and client communication.

Just a year ago, the debate centered on whether and how firms would adopt AI. Today, the question has flipped: How fast can leadership adapt to keep up?

Here are six strategic priorities firms must embrace to stay ahead.

1. Align leadership and build trust

Speed without strategy can undermine the potential of any transformative technology. While many firms are already using AI, adoption without a unified vision can lead to fragmented efforts, wasted resources, and lost momentum.

Leadership must set the tone by clearly aligning on an AI strategy and communicating policies that define data governance, validate models, and establish accountability. These guardrails don’t slow progress—they accelerate adoption, unlock return on investment, and ensure AI remains ethical, auditable, and future‑ready.

2. Map workflows to unlock AI’s real potential

Process mapping may not sound exciting, but it is foundational to agentic AI success. This is not about sprinkling automation across a few existing steps; it requires rethinking how work gets done end to end.

Tax and accounting firms rely on high‑volume, repetitive tasks layered with complex regulations and rising client expectations. Mapping workflows exposes bottlenecks and manual handoffs, revealing where agentic AI can deliver the greatest impact. Prioritize automating routine tasks such as data entry, reconciliation, and reporting. The goal isn’t just efficiency—it’s freeing professionals to focus on higher‑value work like advisory and strategic planning.

Agentic AI and the future-ready accounting firm: What comes after automation?

3. Start small, share wins, and build momentum

In a profession built on accuracy and compliance, the smartest path to AI adoption is through focused, high‑impact use cases—such as automating document classification or streamlining client intake.

Early wins provide tangible value and help overcome skepticism by demonstrating how AI enhances core operations rather than disrupts them. The 2025 Future Ready Accountant survey shows that 40% of firms use AI for tax and audit research, 38% use AI assistants, and 73% of frequent AI users report improvements in client service, decision‑making, and efficiency.

Share these successes widely. Momentum that starts small can scale quickly.

4. Leverage APIs for customization and scale

APIs are the backbone of scalable AI adoption. They allow firms to integrate AI into existing software, enable real‑time data exchange across systems, and automate workflows without rebuilding infrastructure.

That flexibility matters, especially when firms cite privacy and security risks (41%), lack of staff experience (39%), and data quality issues (38%) as their top AI challenges. A thoughtful API strategy can address all three by supporting secure integrations, simplifying workflows for less‑experienced teams, and improving data accuracy through real‑time syncing. A phased, API‑driven approach ensures new AI capabilities enhance — not compromise — the reliability and trust the profession demands.

5. Reimagine talent strategy for an AI‑enabled future

The talent equation in accounting is changing. Recruiting is no longer the top talent priority, dropping 10 points in the most recent survey. Instead, firms are focusing on enabling existing teams, with 31% ranking technical skill development as their top priority.

Employee expectations are evolving as well. Nearly 29% of respondents say their teams are demanding better technology tools—up 10 points year over year. Investing in intuitive, efficiency‑boosting technology is necessary, but it isn’t enough. Firms must pair modern tools with structured training programs that empower professionals to understand, adopt, and ultimately lead the AI transformation.

6. Use AI to elevate advisory services

AI is not just streamlining work — it is redefining how firms engage clients. More than one‑third of firms already use AI to deliver timelier, more tailored communication, and 29% use it to generate predictive insights from client data. Another 37% plan to do so within the next year.

By automating manual tasks and surfacing insights more efficiently, AI allows professionals to focus on proactive guidance and high‑value conversations—key differentiators in a competitive market. Instead of reacting to client needs, firms can anticipate them, delivering personalized, data‑driven advice that deepens trust and strengthens long‑term relationships.

Advisory is no longer the future of accounting — it is the present. And AI is the engine powering it.

Advisory reimagined:  How firms deliver proactive defensible guidance at scale

Closing thoughts

AI adoption is not a sprint; it’s a strategic marathon. While quick wins matter, long‑term success requires sustained investment, iterative experimentation, and a willingness to evolve alongside the technology.

For tax and accounting professionals, the AI revolution is about more than adopting new tools. It’s about redefining how value is delivered in a profession where insight, agility, and advisory excellence increasingly set the standard.

Firms that lean in now won’t just keep up — they’ll help shape the next era of the profession.

This story was originally published in Fast Company:  Read the original article