Over the past few months, I've had conversations with Finance Directors and CFOs across FMCG, Education, Renewables, and other sectors. I've been asking them all the same question: What are you doing about AI?
The responses have been revealing.
The majority are taking a "wait and see" approach. When pressed, they mention using Co-Pilot or Chat GPT for basic tasks, but there's no real strategy behind it. They're watching from the side-lines.
A lot of the more experienced FDs said they believe there's a bubble—they've seen this before with blockchain. Remember all the noise about how it would transform finance? While it found its niche in crypto and some supply chain applications, it didn't revolutionize finance departments the way the hype suggested. So why should AI be different?
Then there are the one or two who've jumped in with both feet. They're bringing in external consulting firms to train their teams, mapping out which AI tools suit different parts of the business, and fundamentally rethinking how their finance function operates.
Here's what they're seeing: the future finance team will have an AI agent attached to it. Analysis that used to take weeks will take seconds. But—and this is critical—you'll still need finance professionals who understand the data, can interpret it, and can partner with the business to drive decisions.
The shift is this: finance teams will have more time for meaningful conversations and making a real impact on the business, rather than being buried in spreadsheets.
My take? If you ARE the task, you're at risk. If you OVERSEE the task, AI will give you more time to deliver the value-add.
The question isn't whether AI is coming to finance—it's already here. The question is: are you leading the change, or waiting to see what happens?
The finance leaders who are moving now will be the ones who define what finance looks like in 2030.