Innovation in action: Jason Marx on agentic AI, firm intelligence, and the global future of tax & accounting

Accounting is undergoing a major shift in how work gets done as artificial intelligence becomes a business-critical tool. In this Q&A, Jason Marx, CEO of Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting, shares how the company is leading this transformation through Firm Intelligence, its global strategy that integrates responsible AI, expert content, and connected platforms to help professionals work more efficiently and deliver greater value.

AI is evolving rapidly. What does this mean for the profession, and how are firms stepping up to adapt?  

We’ve entered a new era of AI — one where systems don’t just assist, they act. Imagine having a colleague who can anticipate your needs, reason through problems, and offer tailored recommendations in real time. That's what agentic AI is all about. 

Across the profession, we’re seeing three major shifts in response to these new AI and agentic AI capabilities:

• Embedded, connected intelligence. Professionals want smarter ways to work without adding more tools. They’re looking for AI that's seamlessly integrated into their daily workflows, enhancing their tax, audit, and advisory tasks.
• Transparency and trust. In regulated professions, explainability is crucial. Our solutions are built on verified, expert content with clear citations and audit-ready logic, ensuring transparency and trust.
• A new generation of hybrid professionals. Today’s accounting professionals are fluent in both tax and technology. They're leveraging AI to deepen their expertise, assess unique client circumstances, and deliver more strategic value. 

AI should enhance insights, reduce friction and strengthen professional impact. It belongs within the tools professionals already trust, not built around the edges. That’s our focus.

What makes Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting’s strategy different? 

Our strategy is all about making a meaningful impact when it matters most. While others are still figuring out what's possible, we've been integrating advanced technologies like AI and machine learning into our solutions for over 15 years. We call this approach Firm Intelligence. It's not just a feature; it's a design philosophy that shapes how we build and deliver value. As we embed AI into the CCH ecosystem, we create intelligent systems that: 

• Anticipate needs
• Surface insight at the right time
• Reduce manual friction
• Empower professionals to focus on higher-value work 

What sets us apart is not just what we offer, but how we bring it all together: deep domain expertise, tightly connected platforms, and a global presence tuned to local needs. 

• Domain expertise. Our AI draws on our trusted, expert-curated content to deliver dependable insights professionals can rely on.
• End-to-end integration. Our platforms don’t just coexist; they connect and work together. Data and insights flow seamlessly across the entire firm powering adaptive, context aware workflows from tax prep to audit to advisory.   
• Global scale, local precision. We serve firms in more than 180 countries, with solutions developed for local regulations, languages, and business practices. 

We’re not layering AI on top of legacy systems; we’re building intelligence into the core. The goal isn’t just smarter tools — it’s smarter work. 

What AI innovations are firms seeing from Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting today, and what’s next? 

We’re working closely with firms to apply AI in practical and meaningful ways that enhance daily work. Some of these innovations are already in the hands of professionals today.  

For example, we’ve introduced AI-powered research assistants that deliver expert-backed, context-aware answers directly within workflows. We’re also helping firms optimize staffing and scheduling with AI that adapts in real time to changing priorities. 

Looking ahead, we’re launching two new agentic AI tools later this year. One is a conversational interface that can surface insights, generate reports, and take responsible action based on firm-specific context. The other automates document ingestion, including parsing and validating complex, unstructured forms such as K-1s. This reduces manual effort and improves accuracy. 

These innovations are designed not just to speed up tasks, but to help professionals navigate complexity, scale their expertise, and spend more time on strategic client work. 

How is Wolters Kluwer using AI internally to support customers more effectively? 

We believe customers should feel the impact of innovation at every touchpoint, not just when they use our solutions. Behind the scenes, we’ve been applying AI to improve customer support, accelerate software delivery, and streamline editorial operations. Let me share a few examples:  

• Digital-first customer support: Our Advanced Virtual Agents (AVA) are live across all global customer support operations. Imagine having a 24/7 assistant that can answer your questions in the format and language you prefer and connect you to human agents more efficiently when needed. That's AVA in action. 
• Predictive analytics: We use AI to anticipate potential issues before they arise. This helps us improve customer onboarding, training, and service delivery. Have you ever wished you could foresee problems before they happen? That's exactly what our AI does. 
• Faster publishing workflows: Our human-in-the-loop AI helps our editorial teams respond quickly to regulatory changes, whether it’s the OBBBA legislation in the United States, DAC7 in Europe or BEPS Pillar Two around the world. This ensures we maintain the accuracy and expert validation our customers rely on.  

These internal innovations help us scale faster, respond quicker, and deliver a more consistent global experience. We're building intelligence into the core to make work smarter. 

What can firm leaders do now to prepare for what’s next? 

The pace of change is accelerating, but the most successful firms aren’t reacting impulsively. They’re thinking critically about where they are today, where they want to go, and what capabilities they need to get there.  

As a leader, consider these questions: 

Is your technology enabling better decision-making or just more activity? 

Streamlining workflows is important, but the real value lies in surfacing insight at the right moment. Evaluate whether your systems are helping teams make smarter calls, faster. 

Where is your talent spending time and what’s that time worth?

Leaders are rethinking staffing models and capacity. Ask whether your most skilled professionals are focused on high-value work or bogged down in tasks that could be automated, delegated, or eliminated. 

Are you building for adaptability?

Compliance demands, from ESG to global minimum tax rules, aren’t just increasing, they’re shifting rapidly. The systems you invest in today should give you the flexibility to respond tomorrow.

It excites me to see how professionals are embracing this moment with intention. Across regions, firms are moving beyond reactive compliance and starting to reimagine how they operate, grow, and serve clients. We’re seeing early but meaningful shifts: streamlining document-heavy workflows, accelerating research and reporting, and building capacity for deeper advisory.  That’s the promise of Firm Intelligence: technology that works in harmony with professionals, making systems smarter, workflows simpler, and expertise more impactful.