Survey: 92% of CFOs and Senior Finance Professionals Feel Pressure to Prove AI Investment Returns
An Avalara survey of 1,505 CFOs and senior finance executives found that 92% of respondents feel pressure to prove AI investment returns, but only 7% of organizations prioritize AI governance over adoption speed. 44% of respondents have only partial confidence in explaining AI agent behavior to auditors or regulators, and 76% say they lack internal expertise to understand how AI operates. The survey also shows that 30% of organizations have not updated internal controls within a year, 50% say AI agents bring only limited measurable returns, and 23% believe accountability for AI errors is unclear.
Key Findings
- 92%of CFOs and senior finance executives feel pressure to prove that AI investments deliver significant returns; only7%say their organizations prioritize AI governance over adoption speed—this is according to a survey by Avalara.
- 44%of respondents have only partial confidence in their ability to explain AI agent behavior to auditors or regulators;76%say their organizationslack sufficient internal expertiseto understand how AI works. Avalara, an AI-powered tax compliance software provider, released this news on Tuesday.
- "Nearly every leader surveyed feels personal pressure to prove these investments are generating returns," said Jayme Fishman, executive vice president at Avalara, in a statement. "At the same time, the controls, expertise, and accountability mechanisms that should underpin these investments are still being built."
Deeper Analysis
According to Gartner forecasts,global AI spending will surge by 47% this year, reaching $2.6 trillion, up from $1.76 trillion in 2025,exceeding the GDP of Canada and Australia combined. By 2030, AI investment will grow another 120% to $5.62 trillion.
The Race to Adopt AIputs CFOs in a dilemma: they must fulfill their role as the primary defense against wasteful spending while facing internal, investor, and competitive pressure to fund AI projects that promise high returns on the surface.
"What strikes me is the tension finance leaders manage every day," said Hugo Sarrazin, CEO of Avalara, in a statement. "They are asked to move quickly, prove value, and modernize critical processes while also protecting the controls and governance mechanisms that businesses rely on to survive."
One sign that AI regulation lags behind adoption:30%of respondents say their companieshave not updated internal controls in the past year. Avalara's survey of 1,505 CFOs and senior finance executives also found that50%of respondents say their AI agents deliver only limited measurable return on investment.
Accountability for AI errors is equally weak:23%of respondents say that if an incident occurs, responsibility will fall on no one or be unclear. Additionally,46%of respondents say their AI incident response plans are untested or still being developed, and only28%require documented audit logs to show how AI agents make decisions.
Sarrazin suggests that companies should build and operate AI agents using validated, domain-specific data and ensure transparency in decision-making processes. He added that clear accountability and governance should be established before, not after, AI agents go live, and that companies adopting AI should choose partners with expertise in finance and compliance.
Avalara's survey was conducted in June, with respondents being CFOs and other senior finance executives from companies with annual revenue of at least $10 million in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and India. All respondents have deployed, piloted, or evaluated AI agents in their organizations for at least 12 months.