Finance’s next move: How leaders are using AI to power new processes

TOGETHER WITH

Let’s talk numbers. The conversation about AI has shifted from gaining insights to driving measurable results. For finance teams, that means improving data quality + streamlining everyday processes. AvidXchange’s AI-powered AP and payment solutions help teams automate spend capture, strengthen spend control, and enhance payment performance. across financial operations. Learn more.

AI is no longer the shiny new tool everyone’s eager to deploy: It’s a critical part of your daily workflows. From automations that check your team’s KPIs every week to the notetaking app in your afternoon meetings, AI is streamlining operations across your business.

Now, finance leaders are looking for what AI can help them achieve next. They’re shifting focus from basic analytics to execution, including supporting the decision-making process and modernizing payment workflows.

We teamed up with AvidXchange to learn how finance leaders are using AI to support their work as they automate AP processes, strengthen spend control, and enhance payment performance. Here’s what you need to know.

Powering real results

The stories and anecdotes about AI improving teams’ daily workflows are incredibly valuable as you determine the success of your AI adoption strategy—but those are subjective. In the finance world, we deal in numbers and facts. Let’s get objective, too.

As AI adoption matures, the focus is shifting from analytics to execution, helping finance teams act faster and make more informed decisions. To make the most of the AI tools you’ve onboarded, you need a strong foundation of data to measure your progress.

CFOs and finance leaders are increasingly evaluating AI investments using real, measurable business outcomes. They’re driving efficiency, providing actionable insights, improving forecasting accuracy, and increasing financial control, just to name a few. And those improvements your team feels every day? That’s measurable, too. As AI helps reduce manual work, leaders can watch how improving data quality leads to new, actionable insights.

In AvidXchange’s 2026 trends survey, finance directors reported real ROI from their AI tools. Respondents reported:

• increased efficiency (47% of respondents)
• improved accuracy/reduced errors (45% of respondents)
• reduced operational costs (37% of respondents)
• improved customer or supplier experience (29% of respondents)

Let’s use B2B payments as an example. Instead of spending countless hours chasing down suppliers and struggling to reconcile invoices, AI helps streamline every part of the process. It can help improve payment timing and provide actionable insights to help you gain control over cash flow. Finance leaders can leverage AI to improve the supplier experience, mitigate risk, and support fraud detection.

As you review your AI results, here are a few questions to keep in mind:

• How can I make this process more efficient?
• How can these results help support my team?
• Why does this tactic work, and how can I leverage it across different processes?

The fight against fraud

The conversation among finance leaders is increasingly addressing how AI can be leveraged to help detect fraud, enhance security, and support risk management. In fact, AvidXchange’s 2026 trends survey found 42% of respondents are focusing their 2026 technology investments in data security, fraud prevention, and compliance tools.

And while AI can’t lead the fight against fraud by itself, it can help make it a little easier for finance teams.

Your team can’t monitor everything 24/7. There aren’t enough hours in the day, even with automation taking a few manual tasks off of their plates. That’s why teams are getting creative. They’re using AI to:

• Help strengthen financial controls, so your team doesn’t miss a single suspicious transaction.
• Automate fraud alerts + responses around the clock, so potential issues can be addressed before they become bigger issues.

The potential doesn’t stop with fraud detection. AI-powered tactics are transforming finance’s next chapter.

AI-powered AP

Automating AP processes, strengthening spend control, and enhancing payment performance across your finance ops starts with a trusted partner.

AvidXchange’s AI-powered accounts payable software and payment solutions are designed with mid-market businesses and their suppliers in mind. They help businesses modernize their expenses and payments by combining AI-powered software with over 25 years of industry expertise.

The result? Hundreds of millions of transactions and supplier payments were securely processed through the company’s proprietary payment network. Over 79.6m transactions were processed in 2025 alone, with 10k+ invoices processed every month. Backed by a network of more than 1.5 million suppliers, AvidXchange helps businesses automate payments at scale while delivering a better experience for suppliers.

Level up

Put simply, AI is capable of a whole lot more than automating manual workflows. For finance teams looking toward the future, AI is more than a machine producing insights; it enables them to take action with what they’ve learned.

With AI-powered AP processes and payment operations, finance leaders can drive measurable impact that lasts. Learn how AvidXchange can help take your team’s finance operations to the next level.