No structure, no certainty: why AI needs XBRL.
There’s a myth doing the rounds: that in the era of AI, we no longer need structured data. That somehow, large language models can read a few PDFs and spit out perfect insights. It’s a nice idea—but it’s dangerously wrong.
At XBRL International, we’re here to set the record straight. Our latest video, The Age of AI, lays it out clearly: AI without structured data is like a self-driving car without a road. You might get somewhere, but it won’t be where you intended—and you probably won’t like the journey.
AI isn’t a magic wand. It’s a tool—and a powerful one—when it’s fuelled by consistent, machine-readable data. That’s what XBRL delivers: a single, authoritative version of the truth, directly from the company, signed off by management, fully traceable, and built for both humans and machines.
Ditching structured reporting in favour of AI scraping documents? Go ahead—if you want conflicting interpretations, untraceable conclusions, and decision-making based on hunches, not hard data. But for those who value accuracy, accountability and comparability, digital reporting in XBRL remains non-negotiable.
And tagging “too expensive”? Compared to the massive effort behind each report, it’s a rounding error. Plus, AI is already making the tagging process faster and smarter. The result? High-quality digital data that benefits everyone—issuers, investors, regulators.
Watch our new video and see why, in the age of AI, XBRL is more essential than ever.
