Partnering with generative AI in the finance function
Summary
Generative AI is being trialled across finance teams to remove repetitive work and free CFOs and their staff for higher-value strategic tasks. Large language models (LLMs) can draft quarterly reports, investor communications and strategic summaries, while other generative tools are explored for treasury functions (cash, revenue and liquidity forecasting), contract automation and investment analysis. Deloitte and MIT Technology Review note early adoption — about 19% of finance organisations reported generative-AI use in finance — but also caution that ROI has fallen short of expectations so far and that LLMs have mathematical limits for precise forecasting. Still, many CFOs plan increased spend and deployment in the coming year, and the piece urges finance leaders to experiment now to avoid being outpaced by competitors.
Source
Key Points
- Generative AI can handle routine finance tasks—drafting reports, summarising issues and preparing investor communications—freeing staff for strategic work.
- Use cases extend to treasury (cash, revenue and liquidity forecasting), contract automation and investment analysis, though forecasting faces limitations from LLMs’ mathematical weaknesses.
- Deloitte found roughly 19% of finance organisations had adopted generative AI in the function by 2024, with many more planning investment.
- Surveyed organisations reported realised ROI about eight percentage points below expectations, but 46% of CFOs expect increased deployment or spend on generative AI in the next 12 months.
- Successful adoption requires experimentation, rethinking finance roles in partnership with AI, and focusing on governance, controls and accuracy checks.
Context and relevance
This report is relevant to CFOs, finance transformation leads and technology strategists who need to balance near-term productivity gains against model limitations and governance needs. It ties into broader trends: rising enterprise AI spend, increased emphasis on automation and self-service, and the workforce shift as finance professionals adopt AI tools. The article—produced in association with Deloitte—frames generative AI as an enabling technology rather than a replacement, and flags practical adoption barriers (accuracy, forecasting limits, ROI expectations) that organisations must manage.
Why should I read this?
If you care about making your finance team less bogged down in admin and more focused on shaping strategy, this is worth five minutes. It’s a shortcut to what CFOs are actually doing with generative AI, the realistic benefits, the gotchas (forecasting isn’t magic), and why sitting on the sidelines could mean falling behind. Think of it as a practical wake-up call: experiment smart, govern tightly, and use AI to amplify the people you already trust with numbers.