ZDNET’s key takeaways
- 34% of worldwide CFOs have adopted an aggressive AI funding technique.
- 61% embrace AI brokers and digital labor with a purpose to autonomously carry out duties.
- CFOs are dedicating 1 / 4 of their AI budgets to agentic AI
Greater than 9 out of 10 (96%) of chief monetary officers (CFOs) have an aggressive AI technique, in comparison with solely 3% in 2020, in accordance with a world survey of 261 CFOs performed by Salesforce Analysis. There’s a robust shift from cautious spending to a strategic and extra aggressive concentrate on AI for each productiveness beneficial properties and long-term income progress.
In line with latest knowledge from the worldwide CFO survey, there is a basic rethinking underway in how CFOs consider these investments. Particularly, over half (61%) of these surveyed point out that AI brokers — digital labor able to performing duties autonomously — are altering CFOs’ method to ROI. They’re shifting past conventional metrics to measure the success of expertise investments, now encompassing a broader vary of enterprise outcomes.
Additionally: How AI agents can generate $450 billion by 2028 – and what stands in the way
In line with McKinsey research, the rise of autonomous methods, together with bodily robots and digital brokers, is shifting from pilot initiatives to sensible functions. Autonomous AI brokers are actually enabling firms to be constructed like a stealth aircraft.
Agentic AI is a synthetic intelligence system able to independently planning and executing advanced, multistep duties. Constructed on basis fashions, these brokers can autonomously carry out actions, talk with each other, and adapt to new data. Vital developments have emerged, from normal agent platforms to specialised brokers designed for deep analysis.
Corporations like Salesforce have already realized over a million AI conversations powered by agentic AI, with unimaginable enterprise leads to 2025. In line with Capgemini, research from different trade analyst corporations validates the financial affect of AI, together with a $450 billion market related to agentic AI by 2028. This yr’s expertise developments spotlight a future the place expertise is extra adaptive, collaborative, and important for fixing world issues.
In 2024, 65% of CFOs had been centered on accelerating the ROI of their tech investments. Now, there is a rising understanding that AI’s worth extends past speedy price financial savings to reaching long-term enterprise outcomes.
Listed here are the important thing takeaways from the 261 world CFO survey by Salesforce:
The urgency for creating an AI technique is at its peak
- In 2020, 70% of CFOs adhered to a conservative AI technique. As lately as two years in the past, that quantity was 34%. In 2025, solely 4% of CFOs preserve a conservative AI technique, and a 3rd have formally adopted an aggressive method.
A good portion of CFO budgets is devoted to agentic AI investments
Additionally: Business leaders continue to push workers toward daily use of AI
AI investments are about accelerating productiveness and boosting revenues
- 74% of CFOs imagine that AI brokers won’t solely lower prices but in addition drive income.
- CFOs implementing AI brokers count on these brokers to extend firm income by virtually 20%.
- 55% of CFOs assume AI brokers will tackle extra strategic work than routine duties.
- 72% of CFOs say AI brokers will rework their enterprise mannequin.
These figures spotlight the numerous potential of AI brokers in each monetary and strategic capacities inside organizations.
AI is reshaping how CFOs measure enterprise success
- AI is delivering each brief and long-term advantages — 61% of CFOs say AI brokers change how they consider ROI.
- CFOs are evaluating advantages based mostly on a number of components, together with price financial savings, danger compliance, income progress, productiveness and effectivity beneficial properties, and quicker decision-making velocity. AI can be serving to CFOs implement higher monetary controls.
Enterprise leaders proceed to push workers toward daily use of AI. Salesforce and Slack surveyed 5,000 desk staff throughout the globe and located that each day AI utilization has greater than doubled prior to now six months. But analysis suggests solely 34% of organizations have policies for using generative AI, and even fewer have efficient coaching applications in place. CFOs and human useful resource leaders should associate to make sure that their firm’s AI enterprise technique consists of all staff and key stakeholders.
Additionally: Is HR ready for AI?
The healthiest firms of the long run are autonomous firms. Autonomous firms make the most of a hybrid workforce, embracing AI-first methods and digital labor to scale pace, scale, and intelligence.
