Wolters Kluwer has been a consistent voice on how accountants can turn new technology into day to day value. In this conversation, Mohammed Sidat shared a grounded view of where AI is already working in UK practices, what to watch as Making Tax Digital ramps up, how firms are tightening AML, and what is coming next in product strategy.
AI that earns its keep
Sidat’s headline is simple. AI delivers when it has clear guardrails, good data and a human in the loop. The strongest wins he has seen are in time saving, auditable tasks such as document summarisation, transaction matching and pulling structured fields from unstructured files. These are areas where outputs can be checked quickly, confidence builds, and the tech quietly removes hours of low value work.
By contrast, he cautions against full automation for judgement heavy advisory. The reputational stakes are higher, so firms want checkpoints before anything reaches a client. Wolters Kluwer’s own research suggests adoption is moving quickly, with many professionals now using AI weekly or even daily. The barriers are familiar. Privacy concerns, uneven data quality and limited staff experience often lead to pilot paralysis. Sidat’s fix is to start small. Pick a single high impact use case, make sure your data is sound, measure the result, then expand.
MTD for ITSA: prepare by doing
With quarterly updates replacing a single annual submission for many taxpayers, the workload profile is changing. Sidat’s advice is to treat the next few months as a process design problem. Standardise client timetables, push non digital clients onto software, and map a streamlined digital journey end to end. Where possible, nudge clients for missing data, integrate with the bookkeeping systems they already use, and prefill what you can.
The firms that look ready have stopped debating whether the timetable will slip and have joined the HMRC pilot with small client cohorts. That early exposure is letting them prove their workflows before volumes spike. It also surfaces the practical snags that are easy to underestimate, such as chasing documents four times a year and coordinating across a mixed app stack.
AML that scales without shortcuts
CCH iFirm AML now includes ongoing monitoring across PEPs, sanctions and adverse media, along with biometric checks for remote onboarding and support for new director ID verification. The goal is to automate the checks no human team could feasibly repeat every day, while keeping the firm firmly responsible for final decisions.
False positives are rarely a software problem on their own, Sidat notes. They are usually a data problem. Firms that cleanse and maintain accurate client records get faster, cleaner outcomes. Many are now packaging AML as a value added component of onboarding and periodic review, which helps align pricing with risk management effort and ensures the client base fits the firm’s profile.
An open, API first product strategy
The UK stack is moving from on premise silos to cloud ecosystems. That shift matters because it makes reliable integrations possible. Sidat describes iFirm as API first, with shared data models that let Wolters Kluwer’s products talk to each other and to approved third party tools. The company is prioritising integrations that customers already rely on, and it operates an API management portal so firms or their developers can see what endpoints exist, test them safely and build lightweight connections without brittle CSV workarounds.
Early focus areas include contact and client management and tax preparation, with API coverage expanding as new modules arrive. For larger firms that have built their own utilities, the choice is open. Keep what works and integrate it, or retire duplicated effort where an off the shelf feature now fits better.
From assistants to orchestration
Looking ahead, Sidat expects the centre of gravity to move from generative helpers to agentic systems that orchestrate steps across a workflow. The north star is proactive practices where routine next actions are identified, queued and in some cases executed subject to review. Wolters Kluwer is already embedding AI inside core tasks. One example is suggested disclosure notes within iFirm Accounts Production, generated from the accounts data and presented in context for review. It is the kind of invisible assistance that reduces micro tasks teams barely realise are stealing time.
Return on investment will be proved the same way it has been for every wave of accounting tech. Measure time to complete work, count review cycles, track product usage, and ask the only questions that matter. Is it faster. Is it smarter. If the answer is yes, partners will see the value.
Our main takeaway
AI is there to augment human capabilities. Treat it like any operational improvement. Start with one clear use case, feed it clean data, keep people in the loop, measure the gain, and iterate. Do the same for MTD. Pilot now, standardise client workflows, and digitise holdouts. Invest in AML that automates the heavy lifting without relaxing oversight. And choose platforms that make integration routine rather than risky.
Clients will notice. They already live in a world where everyday tasks take seconds, so they will question week long turnarounds. Firms that can show faster, smarter work, backed by evidence rather than promises, will win the trust and the business.
