Nearly 83% of CFOs plan to increase enterprise-wide AI spending by more than 15% over the next two years, with a significant share of that spending allocated to finance functions, according to new research released by Bain & Company.
Notably, 42% of CFOs expect to boost their AI budgets by 30% or more during that two-year period.
“CFOs are entering a decisive moment,” says Michael Heric, partner at Bain & Company and global leader of Corporate Support and Service Operations solutions. “AI is no longer a side experiment sitting outside the core of finance departments. Real capital commitment in AI is now a must for finance leaders to drive productivity, govern risk, and shape organizational performance.”
Key takeaways:
· More than half of respondents are raising their AI budgets by over 15% this year, and nearly 21% anticipate boosting AI spending by over 30%.
· The largest share of AI investment in finance functions over the next 12 months is allocated towards financial planning, analysis, and reporting.
· Among CFOs deploying some form of AI at scale, including machine learning, GenAI, or agentic, over 40% are highly satisfied with AI results, compared to just 25% at companies still piloting AI. CFO satisfaction exceeds 60% at firms in the top quartile of AI maturity. Overall, just 31% of CFOs are satisfied with their AI outcomes.
· However, only 15-25% of CFOs have scaled AI across finance functions.
