CFO Slice

New surveys from KPMG and Progress ShareFile show that artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming deeply embedded across finance and accounting functions, although the benefits are being realized unevenly across organizations and workflows. KPMG’s survey of more than 1,000 senior finance leaders found AI is delivering the strongest gains in financial planning and analysis, particularly in decision-making, forecasting, and responsiveness. Around 71% of respondents reported faster decision-making, 70% cited improved decision quality, and 64% said forecast accuracy had improved. More than three-quarters of organizations are now using AI in FP&A, while 71% said AI was meeting or exceeding return-on-investment expectations. However, the results suggest that only a smaller group of companies are seeing exceptional returns, with fewer than one-quarter saying AI has exceeded expectations. Separate research from Progress ShareFile, based on a survey of 311 U.S. accountants, found that accounting teams continue to struggle with operational inefficiencies despite widespread AI adoption. More than half of respondents said they can perform their jobs effectively, but not efficiently, while 75% said workflows involve too many steps. Other common complaints included limited automation for routine tasks, fragmented systems, and the need to constantly switch between tools.