As generative AI solutions become increasingly prevalent, CFOs are rethinking how to deploy these technologies within their organizations and finance functions.

Software vendor Oracle's group vice president Hari Sankar said that over the past year, finance leaders have become "fully aware" of the potential of agentic AI solutions, which has created a "sense of urgency" in their adoption.

Two years ago, whengenerative AI solutionswere still relatively unfamiliar, CFOs adopted a "trust but verify" strategy for integrating such tools, Sankar previously told CFO Dive. However, this strategy is now "giving way to a mindset of 'I need to act immediately,'" Sankar said in an interview.

Checks and balances for agentic AI

As they navigate economic turbulence and changing business needs, CFOs continue to consider how AI can best benefit their organizations and finance team members.

"Many CFOs are starting to spend a lot of time exploring 'Where is the potential of AI?'" Sankar said. "What areas can I invest in agents today to gain the benefits of automation?"

Agentic AI—tools designed to take over tasks without human input—has attracted growing attention from finance executives in recent months. In fact, many companies have moved from pilot or testing phases to production deployment, with about a third of organizations reporting that they haveachieved full-scale deployment of such tools, according to a recent KPMG survey.

Sankar noted that finance leaders considering integrating tools like agentic AI must ensure they evaluate their long-term impact, especially since for some enterprises, the ultimate goal is for agentic AI to perform tasks without human interaction.

"How do I provide a certain level of checks and balances to ensure it does the right thing, and ensure that the numbers produced by tasks executed by agentic AI are just as reliable as those produced by my accountant—a professional with ten years of experience?" he asked.

As spending on such tools continues to rise, finance leaders are seeking the right positioning for agentic AI solutions: according to recent research from Big Four accounting firm EY, 35% of leaders expect their organizations to invest more than $10 million in such technology over the next year. Nearly three-quarters of senior leaders alsobelieve entire business unitswill be managed by agentic AI, the study found.

This does not mean agentic AI tools will completely replace humans: "I don't think CFOs are rushing to cut staff and replace them with agents," Sankar said, noting that more complex tasks and analysis will always require human involvement.

But as businesses grow, executives may not add headcount to match growth because "these technologies have the potential to provide a level of automation that allows you to do more with your existing people," he said.

Striking a balance between accounting and technical skills

The ongoing evolution of AI coincides with the changing role of the CFO, as CEOs increasingly rely on finance leaders to drive strategy and ensure the smooth operation of the finance function. The broadening of finance leaders' responsibilities "is reflected in their willingness to invest, their willingness to sponsor projects, their willingness to hire the right talent or train existing talent to become more AI-savvy and data-savvy," Sankar said.

This also has a ripple effect across the entire finance department—for example, controllers not only bear the responsibility of providing numbers, but also "the responsibility of providing clean, integrated, curated data to the rest of the business," Sankar said. Meanwhile, financial planning and analysis teams are evolving into teams that support "agile decision-making" across the organization.

As the role and responsibilities of the finance function continue to evolve, ensuring team members have the right mix of core accounting and finance knowledge along with technical skills is crucial. Future finance professionals may not need to become data scientists or AI model experts, Sankar said, but they will need to develop a "sufficient understanding" of technology to properly leverage it to meet the changing demands of their roles.

"There will be a balance between knowledge of accounting and broader business knowledge and technical acumen," Sankar said of the future structure of the finance function.