Finance Teams Embrace AI but Workers Resist AI Management

Finance professionals are preparing to scale agentic artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance business performance and address talent shortages. However, a recent global survey by Workday reveals that many employees are apprehensive about AI tools moving beyond collaboration to managing workforces.

Key Findings:

• Finance professionals expect AI to improve forecasting (32%), financial reporting (32%), and fraud detection (30%).
• 76% of finance respondents believe AI will alleviate accountant shortages.
• 62% of organizations are already deploying AI agents, with 50% expecting to scale within three years.
• 88% of decision-makers believe AI reduces workloads, while 82% see faster innovation.
• 75% of employees are comfortable collaborating with AI, but only 30% are open to being managed by it.

Ethical Concerns:

• 44% cite ethics and governance as the top barrier to AI adoption.
• 30% fear AI misuse, with many managers using AI for personnel decisions like promotions (77%) and layoffs (66%) without proper training.
• A Resume Builder survey found 94% of managers use AI for decisions about direct reports, often without human input.

Human-Centric Approach:

• Jamie Gruman, a professor at the University of Guelph, warns that AI-driven efficiency can lead to employee dehumanization. He advocates for a culture of care where employees have a say in AI implementation.
• Transparency is critical: only 40% of employees trust AI with financial decisions.
• Finance leaders aim to balance innovation with integrity, keeping humans central to governance and compliance.

Conclusion:

While AI adoption is accelerating, organizations must address ethical concerns and employee trust to ensure successful integration. Finance teams, with their early AI exposure, are leading the way in building transparency.

For more insights, read:

• What Agentic AI Will Mean for Finance