UK accountants are demonstrating greater confidence in the potential of AI to revolutionise their field compared to their global peers, according to new findings from Thomson Reuters.
A notable 91% of tax and accounting professionals in the UK believe AI will have a ‘high’ or ‘transformational’ impact on their profession, surpassing the 76% observed internationally.
The Thomson Reuters 2025 Future of the Professionals report further reveals that 40% of UK tax professionals report their organisations have already implemented an AI strategy, a stark contrast to the mere 11% seen elsewhere.
Moreover, over half (54%) of UK tax firms have invested in AI tools, compared to 39% for the rest of the world.
Thomson Reuters president of tax and accounting professionals Elizabeth Beastrom said: “Tax and accounting professionals understand that AI will have a seismic impact on the industry, and our research shows professionals expect to save 240 hours annually through AI.
“Enthusiasm from accountants themselves appears to be accelerating organisations’ adoption of AI tools. Those that have an AI strategy in place, and onboard new tech the fastest have the potential to pull ahead of their peers and outpace the competition.”
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By GlobalDataThe research also indicates that 61% of accountants in the UK foresee ‘high’ or ‘transformational’ change within their own organisations in the coming year, compared to 37% of their international counterparts.
UK professionals rank the emergence of AI and GenAI as the foremost transformative factor for their industry (91%), ahead of other significant challenges such as the rapid pace of regulatory change, the explosion in data volumes, the shortage of skilled labour, economic recession, and an increasing emphasis on sustainability.
Beastrom added: “Tax firms globally are struggling with recruitment and regulatory compliance. Adopting AI tools is the most efficient and cost-effective way for tax firms to address these challenges. Tax firms are using AI tools to automate routine tasks and basic research. This frees up time for their tax professionals to focus on more client interaction and strategic-level work.”
