Outsourcing no longer provides the value it used to.

Image by Google Gemini Nano Banana Every tax partner asks the same question when AI comes up: What happens to my client data? It's a fair question. Tax firms handle Social Security numbers, bank accounts, EINs, and complete financial histories for thousands of clients. The   IRS receives three to five data theft reports from tax practitioners every week . A 55-person Louisiana firm recently exposed 127,431 people's personal data in a single breach, and an accounting firm in M

Every managing partner in public accounting has sat through the same pitch by now. The vendor shows up with slides about "the future of tax." There's a demo where someone uploads a document and the AI spits out something impressive-looking. Everyone nods. A pilot gets approved. Six months later, the tool is collecting dust and the subscription quietly lapses. This isn't a failure of enthusiasm. Firms want this to work. The Big 4 have   collectively invested over $4 billion in