AI and automation have swept through finance like a tidal wave, bringing efficiency and cost savings in their wake. Forecasting is sharper, fraud detection is faster, and financial reports practically write themselves. It’s the kind of innovation that finance professionals used to dream about, and the true potential of AI is arguably yet to be reached.
But with all this new tech and ways of working, one big question looms: if AI is so good at handling finance, does that mean human judgment is becoming a thing of the past?
From data to decisions: the evolution of AI in finance (so far)
There was a time when finance teams spent hours (or days) sifting through mountains of data just to make sense of the numbers. Now, AI can complete the task in seconds. It predicts market trends with accuracy, flags suspicious transactions before fraudsters can blink, and automates reports so well that CFOs wonder how they ever lived without it.
In The CFO’s Playbook for 2025, 68% of CFOs (and an even higher 78% of CEOs) consider AI to have “high” or “very high” value in their organisations. Meanwhile, 39% of UK businesses, the highest percentage globally, believe AI expertise will be one of the most critical employee skills this year.
And it’s not just about speed and cleaning up workflows. AI also reduces the risk of human error, making financial processes cleaner and more reliable. With real-time insights, decisions that once took weeks now can happen in a matter of minutes.
It’s easy to see why finance teams are welcoming AI with open arms. But here’s where things get tricky. For all its brilliance, AI still has some pretty big blind spots.
AI is a teammate, not a replacement
The question many finance teams are asking is whether we should embrace automation and let AI take the wheel, or resist and keep finance a human-led function. The best approach, however, lies somewhere in the middle.
AI should be seen as a teammate, not a replacement. The growing concept of "human-in-the-loop" automation is gaining traction, where finance teams work alongside AI, utilising its strengths while ensuring humans retain control over critical decisions.
This way, AI handles the heavy lifting, including tasks like data analysis, report generation, and fraud detection. Meanwhile, humans step in for strategy, ethical judgment, and final decision-making.
The need for finance leaders to adopt technology has never been more pressing. In The CFO’s Playbook for 2025, 32% of CFOs said they’re doing more admin than five years ago. While 39% of businesses use AI for real-time data and analytics, only 30% use AI to eliminate manual tasks, with 20% considering it a long-term goal.
In this balance between automation and human expertise, AI is not a competitor but a valuable assistant, helping finance professionals focus on the work that really matters.
Why technology and humans need to evolve together
While AI excels at the heavy lifting, humans bring emotional intelligence, experience, and intuition to decision-making. This is the essence of human-centric digital transformation: integrating technology with human expertise, not replacing it.
As highlighted in The CFO’s Playbook for 2025, 68% of finance leaders say decisions need to be made faster than ever, making the collaboration between AI and humans more important than ever.
But it’s not just about speed, having a seamless flow of information is crucial for making smarter decisions. Yet, despite a surge in digital tools, many finance teams still face frustration from poor integration.
On average, teams spend 125 hours a year just switching between incompatible tools. It’s no wonder some teams using AI are returning to manual methods, feeling like technology is taking them backwards.
The future of finance is hum(AI)n
Finance isn’t about choosing between AI and people, it’s about using AI to amplify human expertise. Automation will continue to evolve, but the need for human judgment, ethics, and intuition isn’t going anywhere.
The leading CFOs aren’t afraid of AI. They’re embracing it, learning how to collaborate with it, and ensuring that technology works for finance professionals, not against them.
Ready to unlock the future of finance? Download The CFO’s Playbook for 2025 to discover how technology and finance can evolve together.