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Fund What Works and Kill Low Yield Bots

Author

Vanessa Carter
September 09, 2025

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Hey there, CFOs! 💼

In this issue, CFOs signal a clear shift toward AI, with adoption in finance more than doubling year over year.

Today, 72% of finance teams use AI, up from 34% in 2024. Tariffs and data security have also emerged as major priorities, with deployments centered on automation, forecasting, and risk management.

Let’s break it down.

📰 Upcoming in this issue

  • 🤖 CFOs Double Down on AI in Finance

  • 🤝 Bridging the CFO and CTO Divide

  • 🎧 Six Podcasts You Should Queue Up for Q4

🤖 CFOs Double Down on AI in Finance

Key Takeaways:

  • 📈 Adoption Surges: The survey shows finance teams are using AI at more than twice the rate of last year, signaling momentum that extends beyond pilots.

  • 🧰 Use Cases Mature: Teams automate close, forecasting, and anomaly detection, while copilots assist policy research, vendor due diligence, and controller workflows.

  • 🔐 Trust and Governance: CFOs prioritize data quality, audit trails, and permissions, requiring human approvals for sensitive steps and third-party reviews of higher-risk agents.

  • 🧠 Skills and Budgets: Finance teams are upskilling in prompting and analytics, while budgets shift toward secure platforms, integrated systems, and measurable ROI rather than scattered point tools.

🤝 Bridging the CFO and CTO Divide

This piece explores how finance and technology leaders develop a shared language, linking roadmaps to P&L to keep funding and delivery aligned.

Key Takeaways:

  • 🧭 Shared Vocabulary: Agree on definitions of value, risk, and time horizons to speed decisions and prevent costly misreads.

  • 📊 Roadmaps Tied To P&L: Map features to revenue, cost, and capital plans, enabling staged funding with clear ROI checkpoints.

  • 🛡️ Governance That Enables: Set owners, data policies, and success metrics, keeping velocity while maintaining control and auditability.

  • 👥 Translators and Rituals: Use product finance partners and regular demos to surface tradeoffs, reduce mistrust, and align priorities.

🎧 Six Podcasts You Should Queue Up for Q4

From cash-flow triage to AI copilots, this roundup highlights sharpening forecasting and leadership skills.

Key Takeaways:

  • 🎯 Q4 Prep Focus: Episodes zero in on budgeting, cash forecasting, scenario planning, and year-end close discipline to stabilize margins.

  • 🧠 AI and Automation: Discussions demystify finance copilots, controls, and early wins, helping leaders separate hype from practical adoption steps.

  • 🌍 Macro and Policy Watch: Hosts unpack rates, regulation, and geopolitical risk so plans and board updates reflect near-term uncertainty.

  • 👥 Leadership and Talent: Playbooks for stakeholder communication, team upskilling, and burnout prevention keep performance sustainable under deadline pressure.

Why It Matters

AI is now an essential finance tool, not a side project. Prioritizing data security, scenario planning, and FP&A enables teams to create value while managing tariff uncertainty.

Focusing on automation, forecasting, and risk management boosts speed, accuracy, and confidence as 2026 approaches.

Until our next issue,

Vanessa Carter
Editor-in-Chief
CFO Executive Insights

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