Trintech CFO Omar Choucair said that for CFOs and finance functions, applying artificial intelligence has quickly shifted from a "nice-to-have" to a "must-have." This means finance leaders need to act as quickly as possible to effectively integrate AI into the business—but at the same time, they must also keep in mind the "non-negotiables" within the CFO's office, namely those critical responsibilities.

"I always emphasize that CFOs cannot be 'almost right,'" Choucair said in an interview with CFO Dive. "I tell everyone that CFOs cannot be almost right; we are responsible for mission-critical processes with zero or near-zero tolerance for error."

Guiding safe and auditable AI

Trintech is a provider of AI-enabled software that helps finance teams automate the financial close process, with a focus on integrating AI into both its own products and internal teams. Choucair said that for CFOs and for Trintech, which is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ensuring that financial information is 100% correct and accurate at all times remains a top priority.

At CFO conferences or in discussions among finance leaders, AI is always the "first and second biggest topic." Finance leaders bear a dual responsibility: ensuring the accuracy, security, and compliance of corporate financial information, while also being responsible for effectively utilizing company resources and driving growth.

When it comes to AI, "on the budget side, there is money to spend, but I think the real question is: Is it reliable? When auditors come in, is it part of the controls?" he said. "Regardless of the function or process being performed, is it truly bulletproof? Is it auditable?"

According to his LinkedIn profile, Choucair has served as CFO of the financial close software provider since 2019. Before joining Trintech, he served as CFO of Multiview, a B2B marketing platform and Warburg Pincus portfolio company, and began his career at KPMG, one of the Big Four accounting firms.

According to a press release dated April 9, Trintech has embedded AI across its entire product suite—launching an AI assistant called Beacon and introducing agentic AI into its financial close process. The press release stated that this technology can deliver benefits such as AI-driven transaction matching, journal entry preparation, and reconciliation notes and documentation.

He cited transaction matching or exception reporting as an example, noting that the tool is designed to help address challenges posed by the small portion of data or information that automation has historically been unable to match.

"That data gets flagged and requires manual follow-up. What we are doing now is creating an agentic agent to step in and actually resolve these issues, while keeping a human in the loop," Choucair said.

A marathon, not a sprint

Choucair said he also uses the technology in his own daily work; for example, using it to assist with a tax restructuring the company is considering. He said generative AI tools are helping answer complex tax questions—while the company also has its tax advisors review the conclusions.

For finance leaders who may still be hesitant about using AI, "I would tell CFOs that the more you use it, the better off you will be," Choucair said. "But the other thing I would say is that I have all my lieutenants around me."

Gaining buy-in from team members is crucial to the effective application of AI. Choucair said Trintech has made "tremendous progress" in employee adoption of AI. Trintech initially started with ChatGPT and rolled out enterprise-grade licenses across its teams early last year. Choucair said that after introducing these tools, Trintech employees quickly divided into three groups.

The first group consists of "very, very energized and focused people who are the number one cheerleaders for this technology," he said. Meanwhile, the second group "is very concerned because they may not have the skills to truly benefit from it, and in the middle there is a large group that needs a lot of training," he said.

For finance leaders, finding the right balance between acting decisively and moving too quickly is critical. The AI journey, especially for those just starting out, "looks like a sprint, but it is not a sprint," Choucair said.

For CFOs just beginning their AI transformation journey, "I tell them to talk to your partners, talk to people you trust, and find those within your core team who are truly enthusiastic about embracing AI," he said.