Financial directors bet on AI to promote income and decisions

Salesforceworld leader in CRM based on AI, has presented the results of a study that analyzes how financial directors have radically changed their approach to the Artificial Intelligence (AI). In fact, they have gone from cautious investors to strategic investors who bet on AI not only to reduce costs, but as a fundamental engine for the growth of long -term income.

While 73% of the financial directors in the EMEA region surveyed claimed to have a conservative strategy in AI in 2020, at present, that figure has been drastically reduced to just 3%. This rapid transformation highlights generalized recognition among financial leaders that AI is no longer only an emerging technology, but a crucial tool to improve efficiency, optimize operations and, more importantly, boost long -term growth.

The redefine the role of financial directors

According to study data, this transformation is explained by the fundamental rethinking they are carrying out on the return of technology investment. More than half (58%) of respondents in EMEA affirm that AI agents, Able to perform tasks autonomously, they are changing their way of evaluating the return on investment, measuring the success of technology investments beyond traditional parameters to cover a wider range of business results.

“The introduction of agents is not only a technical improvement, but also represents a decisive and strategic change for financial directors,” he says Robin Washington, President and Director of Operations and Finance of Salesforce. “With AI agents, we are not only transforming business models, but we are fundamentally remodeling the entire scope of the financial director. This requires a new mentality, since we go beyond financial management to also become architects of business value.”

In fact, respondents recognize that today, the value of AI is not limited to the reduction of short -term costs, but also includes long -term business results, such as income generation, increased productivity and improvement of decision making, aspects that AI agents are specially trained to improve.

In figures

More financial directors surveyed in EMEA go from conservative to aggressive strategies in AI. Currently, only 3% of them maintain a conservative strategy, compared to 73% of five years ago. In addition, one third of them has officially adopted an aggressive approach.

The financial directors dedicate a quarter of their budget to the agents, which is radically transforming their expenditure prospects. On average, in the EMEA region they claim to dedicate 29% of their current total budget to agents.

• 59% of them say that AI agents are fundamental and will continue to be to compete in the current economic environment.
• 61% believe that AI agents are changing their perspective on how their company spends money.
• More than a third (34%) confirms that AI forces them to adopt a riskier mentality around investments in technology.

Respondents claim that AI agents reduce costs and increase income by assuming routine and strategic tasks

• 70% believe that AI agents will not only reduce costs, but also boost income.
• Those who implement AI agents expect them to increase the company’s income 15%.
• 68% say that AI agents will transform their business model.
• 50% believe that AI agents will assume more strategic tasks than routine.

The financial directors surveyed adopt AI as a strategic partner

• 74% of them use AI increasingly to make business decisions.
• The three main tasks that these delegate AI agents are risk assessment (72%), financial forecast (57%) and expenses management (52%).

The agricultural AI is changing the way they evaluate the return of investment, going beyond traditional metrics to cover a broader range of business results.

• With the introduction of the agents, the main factors to evaluate the ROI of the AI are now broader and cover aspects such as direct savings and short -term benefits:
• Cost savings, risk improvement and regulatory compliance, and income growth (tied in first position).
• Improvement of decision making (second place).
• Improvement of productivity or efficiency (third place).
• The two main concerns that take the dream of financial directors in relation to their AI strategy are security or privacy threats (61%) and the long time it takes to obtain the ROI (54%).

More information:

• Find more information in the Salesforce Statistics Library
• Discover and compare the opinions of the Human Resources Directors on the impact of digital work on the workforce.

Methodology: Salesforce, together with Morning Consult, conducted an online survey of 261 Financial Directors (CFO) from 24 countries in America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific, guaranteeing impartiality in the answers.