AI Adoption Is Everywhere, But Transformation Is Not

​Jason Marx is the CEO of Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting.

AI adoption is accelerating at a remarkable pace​​. But many organizations are mistaking AI activity for AI transformation.

They track the number of users, prompts, hours saved and pilots launched. True transformation occurs​ when AI changes how decisions are made, how expertise is distributed, how work moves through the organization and how value is delivered to customers.

Wolters Kluwer’s 2025 “Future Ready Accountant Report” found that 72% of accounting firms globally are now using AI at least weekly, including 35% that use it daily. AI adoption rose to 41%, up from just 9% in 2024, and 77% expect to increase AI spending over the next three years.

The direction is clear. The bigger question for leaders is whether their ways of working are evolving with it.

Start With The Decision, Not The Technology

Adoption adds AI to existing ways of working. Transformation redesigns how work gets done because AI is now part of the operating model.

A transformed organization doesn’t just work faster. It operates differently.

In a transformed organization, expertise is available when and where it is needed. Decisions are informed by relevant information without requiring people to hunt for it. Work moves with fewer handoffs and less rework. Professionals spend less time gathering context and more time applying judgment.

Here’s a simple test: If AI disappeared from your organization tomorrow, which decisions would become harder, slower or more dependent on a small number of experts? If the answer is none, you’ve likely adopted AI, but you have not transformed your operating model.

Before applying AI, leaders need to understand precisely what they are trying to improve: where decisions are delayed, where judgment is inconsistent, where expertise is concentrated in a few individuals, or where too much time is spent gathering and evaluating the information needed to reach a sound conclusion.