AI in finance: Over 90% of finance teams are already automating their workflows

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the financial services industry. AI-powered tools are changing how businesses analyze data, conduct financial forecasting, and automate risk management. To learn more about how organizations are taking advantage of this new tech, we conducted a comprehensive survey of 210 U.S. finance executives, exploring AI implementation and adoption, the impact of automating workflows, and the emerging role of agentic AI. 

The results reveal that investment in AI is already a top priority for finance teams, with many organizations moving beyond pilot programs to full-scale implementation. Our survey data showcases how the world of finance is entering a new era thanks to AI.

Key takeaways

• Automated finance workflows are already here, with over 90% of financial execs seeing the perks of new AI tools and tech. 
• Finance executives anticipate that financial planning and analysis (FP&A) will likely be the most impacted function by AI in the next couple of years.
• 62.9% of finance employees set aside more than two hours a week to focus on AI reskilling.
• AI agents are proving to be the hottest new tools in finance—95.3% of the finance orgs we surveyed are already exploring implementation opportunities.
• Contrary to popular belief, only 15.7% of finance departments are expecting drastic layoffs as agentic AI comes into play. 
• Data security and privacy are the top concerns for implementing agentic AI in finance as regulations and compliance standards continue to evolve. 

AI implementation is an urgent priority to stay afloat in finance

Organizations that started implementing artificial intelligence in their finance operations early are outshining the competition. Our survey reveals that 90% of financial executives have already automated finance workflows with AI and are reaping the rewards. This is a big change in how finance teams operate, with organizations reporting immediate and measurable benefits across their operations:

• Over 39% of organizations report faster processing times as their primary AI benefit.
• Roughly 33.8% have experienced reduced manual effort through AI automation, improving efficiency. 
• AI-powered approvals are streamlining workflows for over 33% of teams.
• Nearly 32% have improved compliance while simultaneously increasing accuracy and reducing errors.
• Over 26% say AI tools have helped them with enhanced decision-making.
• Almost 25% of finance teams have seen accelerated book closing.
• About 23% reported that greater spend visibility is one of the biggest benefits.

AI’s impact on early-stage purchasing workflows is now driving advancements in strategic procurement and vendor management, cementing its expanding role across financial operations. In fact, almost 40% of respondents say financial forecasting and planning is where AI makes the biggest difference, suggesting it’s become essential for driving accurate and proactive business strategies. 

Some of the other use cases where finance teams are seeing the biggest impact include:

• Invoice processing and accounts payable (31.9%)
• Risk assessment and management (31.4%)
• Expense reporting processing (30.5%)
• Compliance monitoring and reporting (29.5%)
• Early-stage purchasing (28.1%)
• Audit trail analysis (22.9%)

Employees are setting aside serious time for AI reskilling

Our survey reveals that an impressive 62.9% of finance employees dedicate more than two hours per week to learning new AI skills, showcasing a proactive embrace of this new frontier. In fact, over 43% are spending between two and five hours weekly, with a dedicated 4.8% committing over 10 hours.

This is a clear signal that AI literacy is necessary for current and future finance professionals.

The substantial time investment also shows a clear shift in how finance roles are changing as AI tools become more prevalent. AI isn't just boosting efficiency—it’s redefining entire job operations. To stay competitive, finance companies must consistently invest in AI reskilling as the technology continues to rapidly evolve.

Agentic AI is the next stage of finance tech

While basic AI solutions for finance have already transformed workflows, agentic AI—autonomous systems that can interact with their environment, make decisions, and complete complex tasks—represents the next big step for AI tools. Agentic AI goes beyond simple financial automation and procurement orchestration by handling judgment-based tasks like risk assessment, investment analysis, and strategic planning—things that used to demand a lot of human expertise.

The adoption curve for this advanced technology is pretty steep. We found that over 95% of finance organizations are already exploring the possibility of adopting agentic AI, with 33.8% having extensively explored implementation options and 46.6% moderately exploring the technology. Only 4.8% haven't begun exploration, indicating that agentic AI is top of mind for most finance teams.

Agentic AI might not have as significant an effect on headcount as expected

Even with all the talk about AI-driven job displacement, our survey results paint a more nuanced picture. Only 15.7% of finance departments expect significant headcount reductions from agentic AI implementation, while 29.1% anticipate moderate decreases and 31.4% expect slight reductions.

Surprisingly, 13.8% of organizations actually expect to increase headcount as they implement agentic AI. This counterintuitive finding likely reflects the need for specialized roles in AI configuration, testing, maintenance, and oversight. As AI systems become more sophisticated, organizations require dedicated personnel to ensure these tools operate effectively, remain compliant with regulations, and deliver accurate results.

Our fintech industry trends report also found that over 50% of fintechs increased hiring despite the rise of AI applications in finance, suggesting that the measured approach to AI-driven workforce changes is consistent across different financial services sectors. These findings should help subdue some fears that AI will replace humans in the finance industry.

Data security and privacy concerns are the biggest hurdles for agentic AI adoption in finance

There’s clearly enthusiasm for agentic AI, but implementation challenges remain significant, with data security topping the list of concerns. These worries are particularly acute given evolving global regulations, where new frameworks like the EU's Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) are reshaping compliance requirements for financial technology.

We asked respondents to give us their top three concerns about agentic AI adoption, and here’s what we found:

• 35.2% cite data security and privacy concerns as their biggest agentic AI worry
• 27.6% report organizational resistance to AI adoption as a major hurdle
• 27.1% worry about the potential loss of human oversight and control
• 26.7% struggle with limited internal AI expertise
• 26.2% are concerned about algorithmic bias and fairness issues
• 23.8% cite high implementation costs
• 23.3% have concerns about a lack of integration with legacy systems

Despite these complex regulatory challenges, organizations are taking a proactive approach, with a significant 51.4% developing internal policies and procedures and nearly 40% actively engaging with regulatory bodies. Just over 6% are taking a "wait-and-see" approach, potentially leading to a competitive disadvantage as regulations rapidly crystallize and first-movers solidify their positions.

Financial planning may experience the biggest technological shift in the coming years

Looking ahead, 53.3% of finance executives anticipate that FP&A will be the most impacted function by AI in the next couple of years. This prediction makes strategic sense, as financial planning involves extensive data collection and transformation, scenario modeling, and communication of findings. These are all areas where generative AI excels and can save teams a significant amount of time.

This focus on financial planning and analysis represents a new trend with using AI for financial analysis. While earlier automation efforts were rules-based processes, the emphasis on FP&A indicates that AI capabilities have matured to handle complex tasks that require a more judgment-based and nuanced analysis.

Other functions expected to see major AI transformation include accounts receivable (37.6%), accounts payable (34.8%), and risk management (34.3%). The wide range of these anticipated changes indicates that AI may reshape virtually every aspect of finance operations within the next 24 months.

Elevate your finance operations with agentic AI 

Our survey results reveal a finance industry that’s moving beyond experimentation and toward full-scale AI implementation, particularly for FP&A. This shift is notable given that finance has historically been slower to adopt AI due to concerns about mathematical accuracy and regulatory compliance. It also suggests that AI has reached new levels of sophistication, successfully conducting complex processes that require "what if" thinking and communication.

Over 37% of finance executives say seamless integration with existing systems is crucial when choosing AI software, and that’s why Zip has made integrations with popular ERP platforms a top priority. Our AI-powered procurement software automates routine tasks and uses agentic AI to assist with more complex processes that save you time and money.

Don’t risk falling behind your competitors that are already realizing the significant operational benefits of AI. To learn more about how Zip can transform your finance department, request a demo today. 

Methodology

The survey of 210 U.S. finance executives and directors was conducted via Centiment Audience for Zip between May 28 and June 2, 2025. Data is unweighted and the margin of error is approximately +/-3% for the overall sample with a 95% confidence level.