Midsize businesses have big AI plans this year
But the key to successful AI implementation will be operational changes and tracking KPIs to measure return, according to experts.
• less than 3 min read
Alex Zank is a reporter with CFO Brew who covers risk management and regulatory compliance topics. Prior to CFO Brew, he covered the property/casualty insurance industry.
Midsize businesses may have fewer resources than the corporate giants, but that doesn’t mean they can’t get more sophisticated through AI and automation.
In fact, roughly nine in 10 of the nearly 1,500 midsize business leaders (29% of whom were CFOs) who responded to a JPMorgan survey in November said they plan to use AI in 2026. The most popular areas for AI implementation were process automation (62%), predictive analytics (44%), and market intelligence (42%), according to the bank’s latest Business Leaders Outlook survey.
Similarly, nearly two-thirds of 200 CFOs and finance executives at US middle-market firms (those with between $5 million and $250 million in revenue) said their company is either “actively” automating processes or making operational changes “for future alignment,” according to Cherry Bekaert’s Middle Market CFO Survey published in November. In the report, the accounting firm contended that AI and automation “are no longer optional.”
Simply saying you’ll adopt AI isn’t enough. Finance leaders must take steps to ensure meaningful gains from the technology, according to Cherry Bekaert. CFOs must have a structured way to identify and prioritize AI opportunities, and track progress through specific KPIs.
“Many of our clients come to us overwhelmed by manual reconciliations, fragmented data and outdated systems,” Dan Wheadon, Cherry Bekaert CFO advisory leader, said in the survey report. “We start by automating core finance processes like order-to-cash and procure-to-pay, thus laying the foundation for more reliable data and streamlined operations. From there, we help CFOs unlock higher-value outcomes like forecasting and reporting.”
The survey suggests most workers at midsize firms may be safe, for now, from being replaced by AI. The majority (60%) of the JPMorgan survey respondents indicated AI “will have no impact on headcount in 2026.” A smaller number of respondents said AI will lead them to “moderately decrease” (13%) or “moderately increase” (11%) headcount.
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CFO Brew helps finance pros navigate their roles with insights into risk management, compliance, and strategy through our newsletter, virtual events, and digital guides.