Smart CFOs now have to give serious thought to artificial intelligence (AI). The technology, which enables computers to be taught to analyze data, identify patterns, and predict outcomes, has evolved from aspirational to mainstream, opening a potential knowledge gap among some finance leaders. In fact, "AI's'early adopter' phase is ending," according to the recently published third edition of Deloitte's State of AI in the Enterprise report.1 The survey, which collected responses from nearly 2,750 executives at companies that have adopted AI, found that about half of respondents (47%) were "skilled" in their AI efforts, meaning that their companies had launched multiple AI systems, but lagged in terms of their number of implementations or their AI expertise--or both. Another 26% were categorized as "seasoned," given that they had already built multiple AI systems and shown a high level of maturity in selecting, managing, and integrating AI technologies.

Smart CFOs now have to give serious thought to artificial intelligence (AI). The technology, which enables computers to be taught to analyze data, identify patterns, and predict outcomes, has evolved from aspirational to mainstream, opening a potential knowledge gap among some finance leaders. In fact, "AI's'early adopter' phase is ending," according to the recently published third edition of Deloitte's State of AI in the Enterprise report.1 The survey, which collected responses from nearly 2,750 executives at companies that have adopted AI, found that about half of respondents (47%) were "skilled" in their AI efforts, meaning that their companies had launched multiple AI systems, but lagged in terms of their number of implementations or their AI expertise--or both. Another 26% were categorized as "seasoned," given that they had already built multiple AI systems and shown a high level of maturity in selecting, managing, and integrating AI technologies.