AI is changing the shape of modern finance — but not in the way many people feared. It’s not about replacing teams or cutting headcount. Instead, AI is taking the repetitive work off finance professionals’ plates and opening the door to more analysis, better control, and stronger business partnership.
Finance teams that once spent most of their time pushing transactions through the system are now starting to play a more strategic role. The shift is gradual, but clear: less manual processing, more thinking.
In Rillion's latest Finance Labs survey of more than 100 CFOs and finance leaders, we looked at how roles are evolving, where the biggest capability gaps are, and where finance leaders expect AI will have the biggest impact in the next few years.
Key takeaways
- AI is reshaping roles, not replacing them. Almost half (46.7%) of finance leaders expect fewer manual tasks and more time spent on analysis. Only 8.6% believe roles will disappear.
- Hybrid skills are becoming essential. 39% expect rising demand for finance professionals who can blend financial expertise with technology and data skills.
- The biggest gaps aren’t where most expect. The top readiness challenges are data interpretation (47.6%), technical skills (41%), and change management and training (40%) — showing that adoption depends more on capability and culture than advanced AI expertise.
- Accountability is driving AI interest. 41% are most excited about AI for fraud and anomaly detection, reflecting a shift toward risk and control, not just efficiency.
- Upskilling beats waiting. Teams that invest in skills, confidence, and adoption support are the ones seeing meaningful impact from AI, not just faster processes.
How will AI change the roles in finance?
Finance leaders don’t see AI as a threat to jobs. They see it as a catalyst for better work.
When asked what impact AI will have on roles over the next three to five years, the results were clear:
- 46.7% expect fewer manual tasks and more focus on strategic analysis.
- 39% anticipate an increased need for hybrid finance-tech skills.
- Only 8.6% believe some roles will be replaced entirely.
- 5.7% expect little change, saying AI will support, not transform, their teams.
In mid-market companies, where finance teams are often lean, even basic automation can create breathing room. A three-person finance team spending less time on reconciliations or invoice handling gains hours each week to improve reporting or build better forecasting models.
In larger organizations with shared services or multi-entity structures, the shift is more about rebalancing work. Routine AP or AR tasks start to move toward automation, while FP&A, controls, business partnering, and data-driven roles expand.
Kristian Gylling, CFO of Rillion, says:
“AI isn’t replacing finance professionals, it’s empowering them. The real shift is from manual processing to interpretation and decision-making. But that only works if teams are given the skills and confidence to work alongside AI, not around it.”
Success isn’t only about running processes faster. It’s about positioning finance to guide the business with insight, context, and confidence.
What are the biggest AI skills gaps in finance?
To make that shift, teams need new skills. But not the ones people often assume.
When asked which skills are missing today, finance leaders highlighted three areas:
- 47.6% said data analysis and interpretation.
- 41% mentioned technical skills such as AI or machine-learning knowledge.
- 40% highlighted change management and user training.
- 34.3% pointed to process redesign for automation.
- Only 3.8% feel fully prepared.
These results show that AI readiness isn’t about hiring data scientists or sending teams on coding courses. The real gap lies in helping finance teams make sense of AI-driven outputs and reshape processes with confidence.
Two priorities stand out:
- Interpreting data: understanding what the numbers mean and what action to take
- Leading change: helping people trust new ways of working
Technical skills still matter, but mostly so teams feel comfortable with the tools — not to build them.
Emil Fleron, Lead AI Engineer at Rillion, says:
“You don’t need everyone in finance to build models. What you need are people who can read AI’s signals, question them when needed, and make smarter decisions because of them.”
Investing in AI proficiency, data confidence, and change leadership today will prepare your finance team for tomorrow.
CFOs are looking for more than just efficiency gains from AI
Finance leaders aren’t only looking to AI for efficiency gains. They want stronger control, better foresight, and confidence in decision-making.
When asked which potential use cases excite them most, the results were telling:
- 41% said real-time anomaly and fraud detection tops their list.
- 20% selected personalized insights for decision-making.
- 16.2% want fully autonomous invoice-to-payment processes.
- 15.2% are looking for predictive cash flow and scenario planning.
- 7.6% chose AI-driven budget optimization.
The interest in fraud detection makes sense: it’s measurable, high-impact, and directly tied to financial integrity and trust.
Personalized insights and predictive capabilities are gaining traction as CFOs look to shift from reporting on what happened to advising on what should happen next. In mid-market finance teams that once struggled to find time for analysis, AI could unlock a level of strategic influence that was previously unrealistic.
AI is valuable for efficiency. But the strongest pull is toward risk, insight, and control.
A tale of two finance teams
To make this shift more tangible, here’s a snapshot of two mid-market finance teams — both similar in size, both starting from the same point.
Team A introduces automation but stops there. Processes run faster, but roles don’t change and no one upskills. Reports still take days to compile. People don’t fully trust the AI outputs, so manual checks continue. After a year, the team is quicker — but not more strategic.
Team B introduces automation and invests in capability building. They train their team to interpret AI-generated insights, adjust workflows, and know when to rely on automation vs review. Within a year, month-end is smoother, teams spend more time on forecasting and business partnering, and AI is embedded into how decisions are made.
Both teams use similar tools. The difference is how they prepared their people.
How to build the AI-enabled finance team
To make AI part of everyday work — not an experiment on the side — finance leaders need a practical approach to skills, culture, and governance. Here’s a framework that’s working for mid-market and large teams.
1. Learn: build AI proficiency and data confidence
Give your team the basics: how AI works in finance, how it supports decisions, and when to challenge its output.
You’re not turning analysts into engineers — you’re helping them feel confident using AI as a partner.
CFO tip: Make space for questions and curiosity. The teams who get the most from AI are the ones who aren’t afraid to ask “why did it suggest that?”
2. Adopt: guide the change process
AI adoption fails when people don’t trust it.
Be clear about what’s changing, what stays the same, and how success will be measured. Bring early adopters in as champions to support peers.
CFO tip: Communicate the purpose behind each automation initiative. Emphasize how it frees time for strategic work, not replaces jobs.
3. Govern: set clear boundaries
Set clear thresholds for when AI decisions are automated and when human validation is required. Teams feel safer with AI when the rules are transparent.
CFO tip: Governance builds confidence, not friction. People trust systems they can audit.
The future finance team is human + AI
Finance teams aren’t being replaced by AI. They’re getting a powerful assistant.
AI brings speed and precision while people bring judgment, context, and accountability.
Finance teams that embrace this partnership model will be faster, more insightful, and better equipped to support business decisions. The ones that wait for skills to “naturally catch up” risk slowing down their own AI journey before it even starts.
Kristian Gylling sums it up:
“AI doesn’t replace judgment, it strengthens it. The more data-literate and adaptable your finance team becomes, the more value every automation delivers.”
Ready to build an AI-enabled finance team and see real impact?
Book a demo with Rillion and see how we help finance teams move from manual accounts payable work to a smoother, more controlled process with AI doing the heavy lifting.
What’s The Finance Labs?
The Finance Labs by Rillion is your go-to source for finance automation insights. Each month, we deliver bite-sized reports designed for CFOs and finance leaders, packed with the latest trends in finance and accounts payable automation.
Our insights are backed by real-world data from Rillion’s platform and anonymous surveys of finance leaders across the US and EMEA.
