EY Maps Four Survival Rules for Tax Talent in AI Era

Generative artificial intelligence is reshaping tax work that has traditionally relied on data preparation, rule-based analysis and document production. EY argues that the technology is more likely to redistribute tasks between people and machines than eliminate tax professionals outright. That shift raises the value of workers who can combine regulatory knowledge with process design, judgment and commercial insight, moving beyond routine execution to provide strategic analysis and decision support.

EY’s tax practice is advancing a digital transformation program called “Future Tax,” using human-AI collaboration to improve operating efficiency. The firm has outlined four survival rules for a new generation of tax professionals, with an emphasis on designing workflows and developing business insight. EY said AI can take on repetitive tasks while employees focus on diagnosing problems, structuring processes and supporting higher-level decisions, recasting the tax specialist as a strategic analytical expert.