AI’s impact on the future of finance
There’s so much more to the future of AI in finance than just automation. Five key trends outline the changes AI is bringing to the way decisions get made, risks are managed, and information is personalized.
More from this research
New research from SAP Insights reveals how AI is already pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the financial sector.
As teams navigate this new technology, the focus is shifting from mere automation to greater decision support and personalization throughout many financial processes. This affects everything from routine tasks to strategic decision-making.
However, it's important to note that AI is not a panacea. Our research shows while AI excels in finance capabilities like data management and automated accounting, domains that require ethical reasoning, critical thinking and other “soft” skills still rely heavily on human workers. As AI continues to evolve, we expect to see more sophisticated decision-supporting tools launching in these areas.
The first part of the research maps the degree of AI’s capabilities across key financial areas, indicating where AI is transforming work today, where it augments existing roles, and where gaps exist between human workers and AI today, but advancements are expected in the coming years.
As AI capabilities transform core finance functions, we anticipate improvements in everything from operational efficiency to building trust. Our research identified five key trends in how AI is transforming financial processes, and more importantly, the future of finance.
More on AI’s effects on finance
Learn more on how AI is transforming financial work and where human skills remain essential; how an organization’s culture and rate of tech adoption could lead to four very different future scenarios; and dive into our thorough FAQ for leaders on how AI affects finance jobs, how to get started, and how to advise the rest of the business on AI investments, strategy, and governance.
1. The human-AI dream team
Employees can use AI like a highly skilled assistant, having it handle routine tasks like generating financial forecasts so they can focus on higher-value work. Meanwhile, AI-agents will make vast pools of in-house and public financial expertise available to workers through the representation of knowledge from financial planners, risk experts, tax professionals, and credit analysts, among others. Employees can use this detailed information to shape their decision-making and monetary strategies.
Major benefits: By allowing AI to take over repetitive tasks and provide guidance in real-time, finance professionals can spend more time on strategic thinking, client engagement, and innovation—areas where human creativity and intuition excel.
Key takeaway: The real power lies in combining the analytical strength of AI with human insight. Teams that use this pairing will be able to work faster and smarter through a combination of automation and greater access to information.
2. AI for operational efficiency: Getting things done
One of AI’s strongest capabilities is in leading operational efficiency, helping businesses do more with less effort. AI systems that use small language models (SLMs) are proving highly effective in specialized finance tasks such as transaction monitoring or reviewing contracts for key terms and conditions, while AI systems that extract insights from large datasets can do so far more quickly than any human could.
Major benefits: It’s not just about doing tasks more quickly—AI improves the accuracy of financial operations, reducing errors, and ensuring more reliable outcomes, such as in the application of sales taxes. Streamlined processes—from automated categorization to smart data matching—mean businesses can be more flexible and respond faster to changes.
Key takeaway: To stay competitive, businesses must make use of AI's ability to improve workflows. This might mean starting with algorithms to automate communications or draft reports or using more novel generative AI applications. By investing in AI applications now, companies will not only increase operational efficiency but also free up their teams to focus on innovation and growth.
3. Building trust and compliance: Keeping you safe
Finance departments face increasing pressure to stay compliant with new and developing regulations. AI is becoming an important tool for meeting these demands by automating compliance checks and helping those departments keep pace with the latest rules. With real-time monitoring, AI ensures that businesses adhere to complex guidelines, helping them avoid costly penalties and maintain a strong compliance posture.
AI also plays a key role in building trust by detecting human biases or errors in data, offering more accurate reporting, and reducing risk. But it is only as good as the data it gets. While AI can address bias, it can also unintentionally reinforce it. A strong ethical framework safeguards the work and ensures that AI remains transparent, fair, and trustworthy.
Major benefits: Compliance errors can lead to huge penalties or reputational damage. AI-enhanced compliance tools give businesses peace of mind, allowing them to focus on growth without worrying about regulatory missteps or scrutiny. And by analyzing internal company data to identify and correct inaccuracies or biases, AI tools support greater fairness and integrity in practices like lending, hiring, and customer service.
Key takeaway: Prioritize the integration of compliance tools within your organization. The businesses that create transparent, trustworthy AI practices, and a clear code of conduct will build stronger, more sustainable relationships with their stakeholders.
4. AI for sustainability
AI is already becoming a key player in sustainability efforts. Whether forecasting the economic effects of sustainable practices or improving investments, AI enables more sustainable planning to ensure the efforts have the intended effect. Analyzing the complexities associated with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data means AI models will adapt to new regulations, market conditions, and scientific findings. AI tools can cater that information to the user’s line of work, whether they are a supply chain manager measuring carbon emissions across their relationships or an investor reviewing a company’s impact.
Major benefits: Sustainability is no longer just a compliance issue; it’s also a competitive advantage. Businesses that integrate AI into their sustainability strategies are better equipped to predict long-term economic effects and demonstrate responsibility.
Key takeaway: Now is the time to make sustainability central to your business strategy. Companies that use AI in these areas will not only meet current market demands but also shape the future of responsible, client-centric finance.
5. Personalization is transforming decision-making
AI will be able to deliver real-time, data-driven insights tailored to specific roles and lines of business. No longer limited to static reports or intuition, financial teams now have access to predictive insights that are personalized for their needs, helping them make more confident and informed decisions. These insights not only support scenario planning but also enhances transparency, fundamentally changing how finance operates.
Major benefits: By personalizing data insights, AI enables faster, more accurate decision-making that’s tailored to individual roles or business units. Companies gain a strategic advantage by simulating various outcomes and receiving real-time analysis that drives better decisions.
Key takeaway: Personalizing insights with AI equips companies to navigate uncertainty with greater precision, offering new opportunities for growth.
The AI edge: Transforming finance at work
What we’re witnessing now is just the beginning. Businesses that can harness the strengths of both human expertise and AI capabilities will find themselves better prepared to navigate the complexities of modern finance.
The future scenarios identified in the research will map AI-driven process transformations directly to tangible business benefits. These scenarios explore how adopting AI affects not only efficiency and decision-making but also the workforce itself—reshaping jobs, redefining roles, and reimagining the human element in financial operations.
About the research:
SAP Insights commissioned TRENDONE GmbH to study trends in the field of artificial intelligence that would be expected to have an effect on the business processes within the finance department of a typical midsized-to-large company. Using input from SAP subject matter experts, we created a framework of financial process capabilities (in other words, the jobs-to-be-done). Then TRENDONE applied a proprietary scouting method of trend search and analysis, screening examples of innovations, and clustering technologies being applied to various use cases. This produced a set of trends that, having been vetted with SAP subject matter experts, were merged into the five core themes highlighted here.