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The CFO’s AI Crossroads
You’ve heard the AI hype. Maybe you’ve asked ChatGPT to draft an email. And chances are, someone on your team is testing AI, too.
But now you’re wondering: how does this actually help finance? What’s worth pursuing? And how do you move from casual use to repeatable workflows that make your team more effective?
You weren’t hired to chase trends—you’re accountable for financial stewardship, disciplined execution, and strategic insight. And increasingly, AI will play a part in how you deliver all three.
This is your playbook for navigating that shift.
There’s room for everyone in AI. Don’t let technical jargon keep you on the sidelines. Lean into your strengths and start where you’re comfortable, whether that’s writing a simple prompt or exploring more advanced workflows. Stay curious as a finance leader, and use your influence to guide AI adoption toward real business value.
Where AI Creates Leverage in Finance
Some of the flashiest examples in finance involve Python scripts and data pipelines, but don’t let that be a barrier. The best way to understand what AI can do is to try it.
You can upload a spreadsheet and ask a model to clean up data, summarize KPIs, or draft a report. If you can describe what you want in plain language, you’re already most of the way there. And when you’re ready to go beyond prompting, there are platforms (like Subscript) designed to make automation easy and reliable for finance leaders.
Here are five areas where finance leaders are applying AI to gain leverage, along with what it takes to get it right:
1. Billing and Revenue Recognition
AI can extract contract terms, apply ASC 606 and IFRS 15 logic, and flag mismatches before they slip through. When implemented well, this gives you:
- Less revenue leakage thanks to tighter controls
- Greater accuracy and compliance in financial reporting
- More bandwidth for forward-looking initiatives
Sample prompt to get started:
“You are a SaaS finance analyst reviewing a customer contract. Based on the attached agreement, summarize the key billing terms, renewal clauses, and performance obligations. Then, identify any implications for ASC 606 compliance. Finally, generate an invoicing schedule in table format based on the contract terms.”
💡 Automation reduces human error, but the real benefit is stronger safeguards, accelerated insights, and a more dependable foundation for strategic decisions.
2. Close and Reconciliation
Instead of chasing numbers and fixing mistakes at month-end, AI can generate journal entries, identify issues in real time, and flag outliers during variance analysis. The result:
- Shorter close timelines while maintaining precision
- Less manual effort as the business grows
- Confidence in audit readiness, even under time pressure
Sample prompt to get started:
“You are a Controller reviewing the monthly close. Compare the attached general ledger entries and bank transactions. Identify: (1) any unmatched transactions, (2) potential duplicates, and (3) discrepancies in transaction amounts or dates. Present your findings in a table with columns for ‘Issue Type’, ‘Transaction Details’, and ‘Suggested Follow-Up’.”
💡 If workflows are brittle, AI will magnify the chaos. Fix the foundation first.
3. Forecasting and Planning
AI can update forecasts with live inputs, simulate what-if scenarios, and detect shifts in pipeline or cash. That means:
- More accurate forecasts without rebuilding models each quarter
- Quicker responses to changes in performance, upside, or market conditions
- Closer coordination between finance, GTM, and product
Sample prompt to get started:
“You are an FP&A Manager preparing scenario forecasts. Using the attached P&L and sales pipeline report, build three models: (1) Base case, (2) 15% increase in bookings, and (3) 20% churn impact. For each scenario, project revenue, expenses, and cash runway over the next 6 months. Summarize the results in a table, and provide a short commentary on financial risks and opportunities under each case.”
💡 AI can speed up the process, but you still own the assumptions, the context, and what happens next.
4. Risk Detection
From billing gaps to policy violations, many red flags go unnoticed until they escalate. AI can surface anomalies early, giving you:
- An early warning system, spanning contracts, expenses, and transactions
- More proactive control, instead of ad hoc spot checks
- Credibility as a finance org that flags problems before they snowball
Sample prompt to get started:
“You are a Controller reviewing expense transactions for potential risks. Analyze the attached dataset and identify: (1) unusual vendor spend (e.g. large spikes or inconsistent patterns), (2) outlier transactions based on amount or frequency, and (3) any duplicate payments. Present your findings in a table with columns for ‘Issue Type’, ‘Transaction Details’, and ‘Recommended Follow-Up’.”
💡 AI doesn’t absolve accountability. People still need to decide what to escalate and how to act.
5. Reporting and Storytelling
AI can write KPI summaries, highlight variances, and help refine the narrative, making space for more meaningful analysis. The benefit:
- Faster turnaround for board, exec, and investor reports
- Sharper, more consistent insights for stakeholders
- A finance org positioned as trusted advisors, not just data handlers
Sample prompt to get started:
“You are a CFO preparing for a board meeting. Using the attached KPI report, summarize the company’s core SaaS metrics for the quarter: ARR, NRR, CAC payback, and burn multiple. Present the data in a comparison table (Q over Q), and write a 2-sentence executive summary highlighting the key trends, underlying drivers, and any strategic implications for the business.”
💡 AI may draft the messaging, but you define the takeaways that matter.
What Changes for You as a Finance Leader
Like it or not, AI will redefine how your company runs. As CFO, your leadership must keep pace—not by chasing tools, but by guiding the business through complexity.
Your remit is evolving. Automation opens up the space to zero in on what matters most: maximizing financial outcomes, shaping strategy, and aligning cross-functional priorities.
That shift doesn’t start with headcount or software. It starts with a clear view of where finance creates leverage, and how to scale that advantage with focus and intent.
What's Next in This Series
Part 1: From Number Crunching to Strategic Command covered how AI is redefining the work of the finance team, and what changes for you as a leader.
Part 2: Evaluating AI Across the Business will explore how to assess AI investments in product, GTM, and operations through a financial lens.
Coming soon - Part 3: Leading AI Governance will focus on why finance should lead AI governance, and how to build the right controls for scale.
With this no-nonsense playbook, you’ll know how to lead your company through AI adoption with financial clarity, operational control, and strategic focus.
Billing and Revenue Recognition—Built for SaaS CFOs
As AI transforms finance, clean and scalable billing infrastructure is essential. Subscript extracts sales terms directly from your contracts, automates invoicing, and manages follow-ups, so revenue stays on track and nothing slips through the cracks.
🔎 Ready to see Subscript in action? Schedule a demo today.
