The next challenge for AI in accounting: Building trusted connectivity across the firm ecosystem  

Why governance, visibility, and interoperability will determine the success of AI across modern accounting firms

AI has quickly become one of the most powerful forces reshaping the accounting profession. But there's a question every firm leader should be asking: How much visibility do we really have into the growing network of technologies accessing our firm's data and workflows?

New AI-powered tools are emerging at a remarkable pace, enabling firms to reduce time spent on administrative work, accelerate productivity, generate deeper insights, and expand their capacity for advisory-led client engagement. At the same time, firms are increasingly relying on specialized applications, workflow automation, and interconnected platforms that exchange information across their organizations.

The opportunity is significant – but so is the responsibility. Every new connection has the potential to create value, but each new connection also requires trust, oversight, and accountability.

That's why I believe the future of AI in accounting may ultimately depend not only on innovation, but on trusted interoperability.

From applications to ecosystems

For many years, technology decisions were largely about selecting individual applications. Firms evaluated software based on its functionality and how well it addressed a specific need.

Today, the equation is different.

A modern accounting firm may use dozens of technologies across tax, audit, workflow management, document management, analytics, client collaboration, practice management, automation, and AI. The value no longer comes solely from the capabilities of individual applications. Increasingly, it comes from how effectively information moves between systems and how seamlessly workflows operate across the broader ecosystem.

AI is accelerating this shift.

An AI-powered assistant is only as useful as the information it can access. An automated workflow is only as effective as the systems with which it can interact. An intelligent agent can only deliver meaningful value when it can securely connect to trusted data sources and understand the context in which work is being performed. As a result, interoperability is moving from a technical consideration to a business imperative.

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Why AI raises the stakes

Much of the discussion surrounding AI understandably focuses on models, features, and emerging capabilities. Those conversations are important, but they are only part of the story. The greater challenge is governance.

As firms add AI-powered technologies to their environments, they must understand how those technologies access data, interact with workflows, and operate within established controls. They need visibility into which applications are connected, who has access to them, how information moves across systems, and how activity can be monitored and governed over time. Without that visibility, complexity and risk can grow faster than oversight.

This is especially important in accounting, where firms manage highly sensitive financial and tax information. Trust, confidentiality, and accountability are foundational to the profession. As technology ecosystems become more connected, firms need confidence that innovation is occurring within a framework that preserves those principles.

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The need for governed interoperability

That’s why the conversation is now shifting from which technologies firms deploy to how those technologies work together. Firms increasingly earn competitive advantage by creating environments where innovation, governance, and trusted data can coexist.

In many firms, the biggest current challenge is how to manage a growing ecosystem of applications, automations, and AI-powered capabilities in a way that maintains visibility, control, and confidence.

That means giving firms the flexibility to connect the technologies they choose while preserving clear oversight of how those technologies interact with critical systems and workflows.

Customer choice matters. Flexibility matters. Open ecosystems matter. But so do security, accountability, and operational control. These objectives are not competing priorities. In fact, the future of accounting depends on achieving all of them, simultaneously. That’s why I believe governed interoperability is becoming one of the most important foundations for the next generation of professional services technology.

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Building a trusted connectivity layer

At Wolters Kluwer, we have long believed firms should be able to build technology ecosystems that align with their unique needs. For years, CCH Axcess has served as a connected platform that enables firms to automate processes, extend workflows, and integrate with a broad range of technologies through APIs and Marketplace integrations.

As those ecosystems continue to evolve, firms are increasingly asking for greater visibility and control over how third-party technologies access trusted data and workflows. That need becomes even more important as AI-powered applications, intelligent agents, and advanced automation capabilities become more prevalent across the profession.

To help address this challenge, we recently introduced Designated Vendor Integrator Keys for CCH Axcess.

At its core, the concept is straightforward. Third-party applications use dedicated integration credentials designed specifically for external access, rather than relying on credentials assigned to a firm for its own API activity.

While the change may appear technical, its implications are both considerable and strategic.

By establishing a dedicated access model for third-party technologies, firms gain greater visibility into connected applications, stronger governance over external access, and clearer separation between firm-developed automation, Marketplace integrations, and other third-party technologies.

Importantly, using this model, firms remain in control of the technologies they choose to connect. The objective is not to restrict innovation – it’s to provide a more transparent and governed framework for managing it.

Why this matters for the future of AI

The next generation of AI solutions will do far more than answer questions. They will help orchestrate work across systems. They will retrieve information, support decisions, trigger actions, coordinate processes, and help professionals navigate increasingly complex workflows. To do that effectively, they need secure access to trusted information and clearly governed pathways between systems. That’s why trusted connectivity is becoming a foundational requirement for what many describe as the agentic accounting firm.

Dedicated integration credentials help create a framework that supports:

• Greater visibility into connected technologies
• Independent authorization and management of integrations
• Stronger governance and accountability
• Secure interaction between systems of record and AI-powered solutions
• Scalable automation across increasingly complex environments
• Continued interoperability, without sacrificing oversight

In practical terms, this helps create the conditions necessary for people, software, automation, and AI to work together responsibly across the firm ecosystem.

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Interoperable ecosystems will define the future of accounting

We're now in an era in which the value of technology is determined less by the capabilities of individual tools and more by how effectively information, workflows, automation, and expertise are connected across the firm.

As firms continue to adopt AI, the focus will increasingly shift toward how information, workflows, automation, and expertise come together across the organization. The firms best positioned for success will be those that combine trusted data, connected workflows, professional oversight, and AI-powered innovation within a framework that scales securely.

That future requires more than powerful technology – it requires infrastructure that enables technology to work together transparently, reliably, and responsibly. At Wolters Kluwer, we believe the path to the agentic accounting firm begins with trusted connectivity, governed interoperability, and customer choice. Because ultimately, the promise of AI is not simply about making individual tools smarter. It's about enabling the entire firm ecosystem to work smarter, together.

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