The following is a guest post from Kate Motonaga, a global CFO, audit chair and board-level risk executive. Opinions are the author’s own.
While artificial intelligence continues to grab headlines, the finance function has quietly been managing its own form of machine intelligence for decades. Anyone who has built a forecast under pressure or navigated a last-minute audit request knows what I mean.
Although much of the attention around AI remains focused on IT and innovation teams, finance has long held responsibility for an organization’s most sensitive and high-stakes data. CFOs and controllers are already wired to think in terms of compliance, controls and risk. This makes them well suited to lead AI strategy and governance.
This is not only about adopting new tools. It is about recognizing finance as a data-native function, one that already sits at the center of enterprise risk, strategy and trust.
Finance has always been a data function
From revenue forecasting and audit trails to regulatory filings and treasury flows, finance leaders manage far more than the P&L. They are stewards of structured, regulated and often confidential data. In many ways, finance has been the enterprise’s data custodian, whether we volunteered for the role or not. What has changed is the scale, speed and expectation around how that data is used.
AI is starting to feel less like a buzzword and more like a practical tool. It helps finance spot patterns, flag anomalies and automate the kinds of tasks no one misses when they are gone. But those benefits only matter if finance leads the conversation about how AI is used, governed and integrated. In many organizations, finance is better equipped than any other function to take on this responsibility.
The CFO as AI steward
This is not about turning CFOs into technologists. Surviving three ERP implementations should at least earn us an honorary IT badge. What matters is that finance already operates with the mindset required for AI leadership: compliance-first thinking, audit awareness and cross-functional visibility.
Boards want to know how AI will improve performance while managing risk. Ideally, they want those answers without the added drama of unwanted headlines or regulatory surprises. CFOs sit at the intersection of performance and oversight, with both the visibility and credibility to guide the discussion.
CFOs are becoming natural counterparts to chief information officers and chief data officers. This is especially true where AI is being applied to forecasting, fraud detection, spend analysis and operational decision-making. These shifts are already underway.
The intelligence model
To help finance leaders navigate this transition, I use a framework called the intelligence model. It outlines five domains where finance should lead.
1. Insight generation, which involves moving beyond backward-looking reporting to real-time scenario modeling.
2. Risk stewardship, where AI is integrated into enterprise risk management without compromising control.
3. Data governance, treating finance as both a consumer and steward of data.
4. Operational agility, where AI tools reduce manual processes and improve forecasting.
5. Board fluency, equipping finance leaders to speak credibly about AI risks, governance models and strategic value.
This model reflects what top finance teams are already doing. Now, AI increases both the opportunity and the responsibility.
What controllers and future finance leaders should know
You do not need a data science degree or a flashy new title to lead in this space. If you manage audits, oversee compliance, or analyze trends, you are already working with the kind of structured data that drives AI.
Begin by asking a few questions: What decisions take too long and why? Where do manual processes limit our speed or insight? How can we improve scenario planning without increasing risk?
If the answer to any of these questions includes “Because we still use Excel for that,” you are not alone.
This shift isn’t about replacing people. It is about using better tools to amplify the judgment finance professionals already bring to the table. Leaders who build comfort with AI and its governance frameworks will increase their influence and relevance.
What boards expect
Boards are asking better questions these days. Not just “What’s the ROI?” but “Are we moving too fast?” and “Who is making sure this thing doesn’t go off the rails?” That is where finance needs to speak up.
Boards want clarity, they want to understand how AI is being used, what risks it introduces and whether the organization has the right governance in place. CFOs, audit chairs and risk executives are in the best position to provide those answers.
Finance should be at the table for every AI-related conversation at the board level, including audit, enterprise risk and capital planning.
AI isn’t a magic bullet or a science project. It is the next phase in finance’s evolution, assisting us as we continue to move from reporting what happened to anticipating what is next. And truthfully, we are already halfway there. The tools may be new, but the leadership required is familiar ground.
