Research1 Since Tauliaa leading provider of working capital management solutions and part of the SAP Group, reveals that AI-generated data has become the most important tool in the decision-making process of financial executives. These results indicate that AI is no longer considered a peripheral tool but is becoming a fundamental element of strategic decision-making by financial managers.
More than half (57%) of global financial leaders are currently using AI-generated insights to inform key decisions, making it significantly more likely to be used than internal (48%) and external ( 46%), based on their judgment (35%) and contributions from colleagues (32%). For this reason, finance leaders expect the role AI-generated insights will play within their function will become more critical, with 85% expecting the influence of AI to AI on their decision making increases over the next 12 months.
AI-generated data insights have quickly become essential to finance functions globally: 60% of executives are currently on teams that use AI to some extent and 92% believe they will use insights into AI-generated data over the next 12 months. The most commonly used applications of AI-generated insights are inventory and supply chain management (48%) and process automation and efficiency (46%).
When asked specifically where AI data has had the most influence on decision-making so far, nearly half of finance executives (47%) said it was essential to improving process automation, closely followed (45%) by cash flow forecasting. The larger the company, the more likely AI is to play a significant role in the decision-making process, with 62% of large companies (1,000+ employees) using AI data for guidance , compared to 39% of companies with between 249 and 500 employees.
Global financial executives largely agree (90%) that AI has had a positive impact on their ability to make informed decisions, with more than a third (36%) saying it has an extremely significant positive impact. The value of AI insights is not lost on finance leaders, and as the importance of AI continues to grow within the finance function, finance leaders have already begun to reshape their team structures based on the value it can provide. Nearly half (45%) of finance functions plan to hire dedicated AI experts in the near future.
Cédric Bru, CEO of Taulia, comments: “Our findings highlight a significant shift in the way effective finance functions operate, with AI no longer an emerging technology, but an essential part of strategic decision-making. Generative AI has the power to simplify access to information and empower financial leaders. We are excited to support finance leaders by providing AI-driven analytics to create effective working capital management strategies. Financial leaders already place great trust in AI-generated data, use it to make critical decisions, and value it above all other data.
“It is clear that the role of AI within the finance function will only grow, meaning those who are able to understand and leverage it effectively will gain a substantial competitive advantage. Successful finance leaders are already exploring a range of AI-powered solutions and partners to ensure they don’t fall behind in innovation.