Building AI-ready finance teams, not just AI tools (www.techradar.com)

AI is transforming finance and tax work from rote processing to high-impact analytics, but success depends less on tools than on people and culture. PwC’s AI Jobs Barometer finds 66% of AI-exposed roles face rapid skill shifts and those who adapt command a 56% wage premium. Vertex research shows the opportunity — and the gap — with 51% of European organizations yet to automate finance and only 47% having centralized indirect-tax controls. As cross-border, real-time reporting, e-invoicing and destination-based rules proliferate, finance is becoming a proving ground for AI applications like anomaly detection and predictive compliance rather than a domain to be replaced. The article argues for building “tax technologists” — hybrid professionals fluent in compliance, ERP/cloud integrations and AI-enabled workflows — who align strategy with system capability and keep humans in the loop. Practical implications include prioritizing ERP modernization, cloud migrations, API-driven reporting, tailored upskilling, and governance that fosters trust and accountability. Firms that involve users early, make experimentation safe, and deliver role-specific training will unlock automation while addressing concerns (44% worried about new skills; 43% about technical expertise). In short: deploy the right AI, but first build teams and culture that can trust, shape and scale it.