From automation to elevation

As organizations accelerate AI investments, many continue to focus primarily on technology implementation. Deloitte’s Insights2Action™ report, Scaling your human edge, shows that 93% of Our report Scaling shows that Your Human Edge, Deloitte Insights2Action^TM 93% of surveyed organizations' AI efforts are concentrated on data and technology, while only 7% focus on rewiring work and the workforce organizations’ AI efforts are concentrated on data and technology, while only 7% focus on rewiring work and the workforce.

Technology is an essential foundation, but by itself it does not transform an organization.

The greatest opportunity lies in redesigning how work gets done. AI should not simply automate existing processes; it should enable finance professionals to spend more time solving complex business problems, providing strategic guidance, and partnering with the business to make better decisions.

Simply put, productivity breakthroughs come from reengineering and adopting new ways of working, not simply introducing new tools. Organizations that pair AI investments with workforce transformation should be better positioned to realize lasting value.

The rise of AI is changing not only the work finance performs, but also what employees expect from their careers.

Today’s workforce increasingly values flexibility, recognition, continuous learning, and meaningful opportunities for growth. Career progression is becoming less about climbing organizational hierarchies and more about developing new capabilities that enable employees to work effectively alongside AI.

For finance leaders, this represents an opportunity to rethink the entire talent life cycle—from workforce planning and recruiting to learning, development, engagement, and career growth.

Rather than hiring exclusively for technical accounting expertise, organizations will likely increasingly seek professionals who combine financial acumen with digital fluency, analytical thinking, business judgment, and the ability to collaborate effectively with both human capital and intelligent technologies.
Building these capabilities requires ongoing investment in learning. As AI continues to evolve, so too will the skills finance professionals need to remain effective. 

Perhaps the most significant impact of AI is how it changes the distribution of work across the finance function.

Historically, finance organizations devoted much of their effort to transaction processing, routine financial planning, and repetitive operational activities. AI is rapidly reducing the amount of human effort required for many of these tasks.

As routine work becomes increasingly AI-powered, finance professionals can redirect their focus toward strategic decision-making, business partnering, financial insights, and enterprise stewardship.

This does not mean AI replaces finance professionals. Instead, it changes how humans and machines work together to deliver more value to the organization.

Routine execution may become AI-powered, analytical work increasingly AI-augmented, but strategic activities remain distinctly human while supported by AI-generated insights that enable faster, more informed decisions.

In this environment, the most valuable finance professionals will be able to execute transactions more efficiently. But that is just the starting point. They can also orchestrate work across people and intelligent systems while exercising the judgment, critical thinking, and leadership that AI cannot replicate. 

As AI becomes embedded within finance processes, technology adoption alone will not determine success. Trust will.

Finance leaders should help employees understand where AI adds value, where human oversight remains essential, and how intelligent systems should be governed.

This includes establishing clear accountability for AI-enabled decisions, defining appropriate governance, creating transparency around AI recommendations, and ensuring employees have the confidence in when to trust, and when to challenge, AI-generated outputs.

Just as importantly, leaders should cultivate a culture that encourages experimentation while providing employees with the support needed to navigate continuous change.

Organizations that successfully build trust will be better positioned to accelerate adoption. Those that overlook the human dimension may risk limiting AI’s potential, regardless of the sophistication of their technology.

The organizations realizing the greatest value from AI are not just implementing new tools, they are building an AI-enabled workforce. The tools matter. The people matter more.

That begins with establishing a clear vision for how AI will reshape finance, investing in the capabilities needed to bridge finance and technology, and creating an environment where employees feel confident in adopting new ways of working.

Ultimately, AI presents an opportunity to redefine the role of finance. By automating routine work, augmenting decision-making, and empowering talent to focus on strategic priorities, finance organizations can become more agile, insightful, and influential than ever before.

Finance has long been defined by its ability to deliver accuracy, control, and insight. In the AI era, its competitive advantage may increasingly depend on something else: its ability to cultivate a workforce that can harness intelligent technologies while bringing the judgment, creativity, and leadership that only people can provide. Organizations that invest in both AI and their talent will be best positioned to unlock the next generation of finance performance.

In short, the future of finance will not be defined by artificial intelligence alone. It will be defined by organizations that recognize AI’s greatest value lies in amplifying human potential and by finance leaders who prepare their workforce to thrive alongside it.