What AI Appreciation Day means for finance teams

Today marks AI Appreciation Day—and beyond the hashtags and headlines, it’s a timely moment for finance professionals to take stock of where AI is actually delivering value.

According to industry research, while 92% of companies intend to boost AI investments over the next three years, only 1% of leaders believe their organizations are truly AI mature.

That discrepancy signals a broader challenge: AI may be everywhere, but its effectiveness hinges on how deeply it’s embedded into real operations—and whether it’s actually delivering results.

For finance teams facing growing pressure from inflation, tariffs, and tighter tax regimes, this is more than a tech issue. It’s a business imperative.

Every investment must deliver tangible ROI. That means deploying AI not for novelty, but for sharper forecasts, streamlined workflows, and better decision-making.

Leaders from Tipalti, Soldo, and Xero shared with us what AI maturity really looks like in the finance function—and what finance teams should prioritize as they look to scale responsibly.

From Experimentation to Strategy

“AI Appreciation Day is a timely moment to reflect on how AI is transforming the finance function—not with hype, but with real, measurable impact,” said Rob Israch, President of Tipalti.

According to Israch, early AI enthusiasm often centered around experimentation. But today’s finance leaders are moving toward operational use cases with clear business value: “The promise of AI isn’t just automation. Integrating AI into core workflows unlocks real-time visibility and predictive insights that drive smarter, faster decisions.”

Still, the path to maturity isn’t linear. Tipalti cites research showing that while 74% of companies have adopted AI in some capacity, only 4% have advanced implementations delivering clear business value. The difference? Execution.

“When AI is embedded into finance operations—from accounts payable to cash flow forecasting—it can uncover patterns and trends, surface anomalies, and deliver real-time insights that improve productivity and inform more confident decision-making,” Israch explained.

Building Resilience Through Responsible Adoption

For Rory Choudhuri, Product and Solutions Director at Soldo, the conversation must also include risk. “AI Appreciation Day highlights not only AI’s potential to drive innovation in financial services, but also the need for thoughtful, responsible adoption,” he said.

Choudhuri noted that as AI evolves, so do the threats. Generative AI has already been exploited for expense fraud, requiring finance teams to move beyond reactive adoption. “Businesses must shift from reactive experimentation of AI to a more proactive, strategic approach that pairs innovation with robust governance and security,” he said.

Traditional manual processes, particularly in areas like expense management, are quickly becoming outdated. “To truly thrive, financial services must evolve; embracing AI’s advantages while guarding against its misuse,” Choudhuri added.

Turning Capabilities Into Actionable Insight

James Bergin, Executive General Manager of Technology Research & Advocacy at Xero, believes that while AI capabilities have advanced rapidly, the next challenge is practical integration. “We’re finding more and more ways to quickly and seamlessly integrate AI into everyday tasks, easing the burden of repetitive tasks and helping us with growth, productivity and customer relationships,” he said.

Bergin emphasized that the next frontier will be in secure and compliant applications of AI that actually move the needle. “The golden opportunities in the future will lie in leveraging AI in the right way to deliver insights that can be turned into action,” he said. “As these capabilities emerge, businesses will need to think carefully about the areas where they want to innovate or improve.”

A Maturity Check for the Finance Function

What emerges from these perspectives is a common theme: AI maturity isn’t about having the latest tools. It’s about thoughtful deployment, measurable outcomes, and the ability to adapt responsibly.

As finance teams across sectors continue their digital transformation journeys, AI Appreciation Day serves as a moment to pause—not just to celebrate AI, but to ask the tougher questions: Are we deploying AI in a way that drives real business value? Are we mitigating risk as aggressively as we pursue opportunity?

The answers may define which finance functions move ahead—and which fall behind—as AI moves from optional innovation to operational necessity.