The research conducted by Thomson Reuters surveyed over 1,200 professionals in legal, tax, accounting, global trade, risk, and compliance sectors across North America, South America, and the United Kingdom. The primary goal was to explore how macro-trends are intersecting with talent, customer expectations, and the overall environment of these professionals' workplaces. The findings reveal that these experts anticipate AI, technology, and automation will exert the most significant influence on their industries in the next five years.
It is undeniable that the future of work is set to be revolutionized, driven by the power of AI. At Thomson Reuters, we are committed to understanding how this evolving technology is truly impacting the professionals and industries we serve as well as the greater society at large — today and tomorrow.
In this report, we present the findings from the first phase of our research, which includes notable insights such as:
How professionals’ hopes for generative AI are centered around improvements in operational efficiencies that will provide greater productivity. They also envision that the freed-up time resulting from the removal of mundane work will make them available for higher-value tasks. We at Thomson Reuters believe this will largely be achieved over the next five years.
How true transformation will occur around talent. While many can see the positive impact AI will have on recruitment, training, career paths, and well-being, there is uncertainty. This unease showed up in the research findings as fears around job loss and, for some, the demise of their professions altogether. We at Thomson Reuters believe jobs will change and tasks will be automated, but AI will create greater capacity for professionals to provide even more value to customers and stakeholders.
How professionals acknowledge the transformational impact AI will have on their work over the next five years. Society and economies have been shaped by our ability to keep pace with innovation. This study shows professionals are ready to embrace change and harness new technology to enable productivity and efficiency, and offer a greater customer experience. At Thomson Reuters, we believe it is too early to fully understand the full scope of these changes and the subsequent impact, but we must partner across industries and create new applications of AI responsibly to achieve the most desirable outcomes.