Research Shows CFOs Insist on Human Oversight of AI in Accounting

Key Takeaways

• Only 14% of CFOs fully trust AI technology toindependently deliver accurate accounting data, according to research released Wednesday by Wakefield Research.。
• An overwhelming majority of respondents (97%) said human oversight is essential to ensure data accuracy when deploying AI in accounting.
• The report noted: "While most finance teams are already using AI tools, confidence in accuracy is not absolute, and many teams have encountered unreliable or hallucinated outputs."

Deeper Insights

The study, commissioned by technology provider Maximor AI, comes as experts predict many business leaders will be forced to strengthen their AI strategies this year, with a focus on dataaccuracy risks and other challenges.。

Despite potential obstacles, Deloitte, one of the Big Four accounting firms, found in its latest CFO Signals survey released earlier this month that more than half (54%) of finance leaders saidintegrating AI agentsinto their departments would be a digital transformation priority for 2026. The report said: "This likely reflects growing interest in advanced tools that enhance workflows and decision-making."

Of the CFOs surveyed by Wakefield, 88% said they use at least one agentic AI tool in accounting and finance processes. But fewer than half (40%) said they have fully integrated AI into their company's finance function. Most respondents (86%) said their finance teams have encountered at least one instance of inaccurate data or "hallucinations" when using AI.

The report said: "CFOs overwhelmingly believe that AI must know when to act autonomously and when to escalate decisions to humans to maintain control and auditability."

Wakefield surveyed 100 CFOs of U.S. mid-market companies in late September.