Artificial intelligence has moved beyond experimentation in finance. The conversation is now centered on how to use it to make better decisions, improve productivity, and generate measurable business value.
According to AvidXchange’s 2026 Trends Survey, 57% of finance organizations plan to invest in AI and machine learning, making it the top technology investment for the coming year. Even more notably, 63% plan to increase AI spending, signaling that AI has become a core component of finance strategy rather than a future initiative.
Finance leaders want AI that helps them make faster decisions, reduce manual work, improve forecasting, and strengthen financial controls on top of automating repetitive tasks.
This guide explains what AI tools for finance are, where organizations are seeing the greatest return on investment, and how to choose AI solutions that deliver measurable value.
Key takeaways
- AI is the top planned technology investment for finance organizations in 2026
- The biggest AI returns come from improved efficiency, accuracy, and better decision-making, not workforce reduction
- Finance leaders are reinvesting AI savings into security, automation, and business growth
- Organizations increasingly view AI as a strategic decision-support tool rather than simply an automation technology
- Successful AI initiatives start with high-quality financial data and well-defined business processes
What are AI Tools for Finance?
AI tools for finance use technologies such as machine learning, generative AI, predictive analytics, and intelligent automation to help finance teams analyze information, identify patterns, automate repetitive work, and support decision-making.
Unlike traditional automation, which follows predefined rules, AI can interpret large amounts of financial information, recognize anomalies, summarize data, generate insights, and recommend next steps.
Examples include:
- Invoice processing
- Intelligent coding
- Payment optimization
- Fraud detection
- Forecasting
- Spend analysis
- Cash flow prediction
- Financial reporting
- Supplier risk monitoring
- Workflow recommendations
Why are Finance Teams Investing More in AI?
Finance leaders continue to face pressure to accomplish more without expanding headcount. Our survey found that nearly 80% of finance departments are being asked to “do more with less” because of ongoing labor market challenges.
AI is becoming one of the primary ways organizations are addressing that challenge. Among organizations increasing AI investment:
- 41% cite improving operational efficiency as the primary goal.
- 27% want better data analysis and decision-making.
- Others hope to improve customer and supplier experiences, reduce costs, and strengthen risk management.
Where are Organizations Seeing ROI from AI?
One of the biggest questions finance leaders ask is whether AI actually delivers measurable results. According to our survey, many organizations are already seeing returns.
The most common benefits include the following:
Only 8% of respondents reported they have not yet realized ROI from AI investments.
Perhaps the most interesting finding is that organizations measure AI success by the quality of financial decisions, not just the number of hours saved.
How are Companies Using the Value Created by AI?
Rather than eliminating jobs, most organizations are reinvesting AI gains. Our Trends Survey found companies are using productivity improvements to:
- Strengthen security and compliance (44%)
- Invest in additional technology (44%)
- Launch new products and services (35%)
- Train employees (34%)
- Expand the business (32%)
These findings reinforce the broader trend of AI helping finance teams become more strategic rather than just leaner.
What AI Tools Should Finance Leaders Prioritize?
Not every AI feature creates equal value. Finance organizations can see the strongest results when AI helps improve the following.
Invoice processing
AI can extract invoice information, identify missing data, suggest GL coding, and route invoices through approval workflows.
Payment intelligence
AI can recommend optimal payment timing, identify opportunities for electronic payments, and surface payment exceptions before they become problems.
Fraud detection
AI continuously monitors transactions for unusual activity, helping finance teams identify potential fraud earlier than traditional rule-based systems.
Financial reporting
AI can summarize trends, prepare executive reports, and answer natural-language questions about financial performance.
Cash flow forecasting
AI analyzes historical payment behavior, seasonality, and operational data to improve forecasting accuracy.
How Should Finance Teams Measure AI Success?
Organizations often make the mistake of evaluating AI based only on time savings. A more complete measurement framework includes:
- Hours saved
- Invoice processing speed
- Payment accuracy
- Reduction in manual errors
- Operating cost reductions
- Improved forecasting
- Better supplier experience
- Improved decision-making speed
- Increased employee productivity
Our Trends Survey suggests organizations are increasingly recognizing these broader measures of ROI, with nearly 79% of respondents expressing confidence that they’ll achieve strong returns from their AI investments.
Will AI Tools Replace Finance Professionals?
Current evidence suggests AI is changing finance work, but not eliminating it.
Instead of replacing accountants and finance leaders, AI is reducing repetitive administrative work while increasing demand for analytical and strategic skills. In fact, finance leaders say AI is changing hiring priorities.
According to our survey, more than half of respondents now place greater emphasis on technology proficiency, while many are also prioritizing adaptability, communication, and data analysis skills. Additionally, 77% of respondents say proficiency with AI and emerging technologies has become more important when hiring finance professionals.
The finance teams of the future are likely to spend less time processing transactions and more time interpreting information, advising leadership, and improving business performance.
What Should Finance Leaders Look for in AI Software?
As AI capabilities become more common, choosing the right platform matters just as much as choosing AI itself. Look for solutions that offer:
- AI built directly into finance workflows
- High-quality financial data
- Transparent recommendations rather than “black box” outputs
- Strong security and compliance controls
- Human review and approval where appropriate
- Integration with existing ERP and accounting systems
- Measurable reporting on productivity and ROI
What are the Best AI Tools for Finance?
Implementing AI tools for finance involves careful planning and vetting. Since finance departments deal with sensitive data, they must ensure that whatever AI tools they use comply with industry regulations, data privacy laws and internal compliance policies.
Because of this, the best AI tools for finance are those that can be licensed for private organizational use, never sharing your internal data with a public audience or allowing public tools to train themselves with your proprietary information.
To learn more about AI tools for finance, as well as other notable trends, download AvidXchange’s 2026 Trends Survey. If you want to learn more about how finance departments are using AI, download The Ultimate Guide to AI in Finance.
Want to speak with an expert about automating your accounts payable processes with AI solutions for finance? Schedule a demo with one of our AP automation experts.
FAQs: AI Tools for Finance
How are finance teams measuring AI ROI?
Common measures include productivity improvements, faster processing, improved accuracy, lower operating costs, better financial insights, and stronger supplier experiences.
What finance processes benefit most from AI?
Invoice processing, payment optimization, fraud detection, reporting, forecasting, spend analysis, and supplier management are among the finance functions seeing the greatest benefits from AI adoption.
Why are finance organizations increasing AI investment?
Organizations are investing because AI helps improve efficiency, supports better financial decision-making, reduces manual work, and enables finance teams to contribute more strategically to business growth.
Is AI replacing accountants?
No. AI is primarily reducing repetitive administrative work while enabling finance professionals to spend more time on analysis, forecasting, and strategic decision-making.