Chris Hall, Senior Tax Officer – Global Tax & Compliance
As digital reporting mandates gain ground and cross-border rules evolve, the finance team’s remit is being rewritten in real time. Tax sits at the intersection of it all: policy, process and platform. A day in the life of a tax professional looks something like this: 8.30 am – review developments and announcements that came in over-night; by noon, triage any real-time reporting alerts of issues or rejected transactions; at 4 pm, probably attend an ERP workshop to ensure required tax rules are encoded, and lots more in between. The job has widened, it’s a race against time, and the margin for error has shrunk.
It’s no surprise that many may feel like they are on the brink of burning out.
In such scenarios, AI is now seen as the default answer to offload heavy workloads.In fact, business leaders increasingly expect this. But can teams adopt this new technology if businesses haven’t invested in the human skills required to understand, apply and govern these tools first?
Organisations will be best positioned to lead if they view AI as a tool to enhance, not replace, human effort. Success will come to those who adopt the right technologies and take the time to invest in upskilling their workforce, which will ensure buy-in and understanding across all levels. Efficiencies and improved performance from these investments will undoubtedly arise as more repetitive tasks are automated and employees can focus more time on higher value-added activities.
Finance as the proving ground for AI
The introduction of digital-first, cross-border business models has created new hurdles for tax and finance teams to address. Many of the traditional approaches built around country-specific requirements and fragmented legacy and ERP systems will no longer cut it. Instead, there is an expectation to adapt to a host of new rules and jurisdictions. Added to this, tax professionals are having to deliver real-time reporting without missing a beat.
Despite this expectation, many organisations are still in the initial stages of their transformation journey and have yet to fully embrace AI’s capabilities. Vertex research shows that 51% of European organisations have yet to automate their finance operations, and only 47% have centralised controls in place, with over a third saying changes to ERP and finance systems are what’s now driving tax strategy.
Finance leaders should now recognise and embrace the benefits of technology, empowering their teams to develop fluency in tax technology (with the help of AI) and evolve beyond traditional roles.
Enter the tax technologist
This demand for speed, accuracy, and adaptability has given rise to a new hybrid role: the tax technologist.
Part strategist, part technologist, these professionals bridge the gap between finance, tax, and IT. They understand compliance but also speak the language of systems, data, and AI. Whether they start in tax and upskill in tech, or vice versa, their role is to align strategy with capability – ensuring that AI tools drive efficiency and insight while ensuring compliance with the myriads of tax requirements.
Tax technologists are instrumental in helping organisations transform. From ERP integrations to global market expansion, they make sure that systems are built to address current business needs in an efficient and compliant manner. Tax professionals should see this shift as a positive one where they can focus on higher-level thinking, larger issues and strategic planning without getting lost in the fine print of tax laws and regulation.
Importantly, tax technologists are enablers of culture change. As organisations work towards creating a human-first AI culture, these professionals will play a key part in helping teams to focus on strategic thinking and create high-impact outputs.
Boost capability, reduce burnout
According to an iplicit survey, 40% of finance professionals [AK1] [AK2] admit to feeling stressed out at work often or all the time, with a further 42% feeling stressed sometimes. And constantly evolving reporting requirements only add to this strain.
AI should be part of the solution, not another layer of stress. When properly implemented, it can eliminate repetitive, manual tasks, giving teams the space to think critically and act strategically, allowing them to enjoy more flexible, less pressured working lives.
However, AI adoption should be citizen-led innovation, driven by the people who use these tools every day. Finance teams must be involved from the very start in identifying automation opportunities, experimenting safely, and shaping how AI fits into their workflows. This will only happen if leadership leads by example, and buys into the benefits of tech.
Leadership matters more than ever
Leadership must cultivate an environment where questions are welcomed, feedback loops are continuous, and assumptions are challenged. Crucially, in this case, AI transformation must take human needs into account. Leaders that succeed do three things well:
- They listen early. Users help shape where and how AI gets applied.
- They make experimentation safe. Teams can test without fear of failure.
- They tailor training. Upskilling is role-specific, practical, and confidence-building.
When leaders act this way, AI stops feeling like a mandate from the top and starts feeling like a collective effort that fits naturally into how people already work. Furthermore, leaders must bear in mind that if AI is to reshape work for the better, the work itself must evolve in tandem. And flexibility must also be rethought.
With AI handling routine tasks, organisations have an opportunity to move towards outcome-based models that reflect modern work. Employees should feel their contributions are judged by impact, not input.
Only when leadership champions this shift can finance (and tax) teams truly unlock AI’s potential, to help them work faster, smarter and with greater purpose.
