Finance teams are midway through 2026 with sharper clarity on how AI fits into their day-to-day operations. Survey data collected by Aqilla at its recent user conference points to a meaningful shift in attitude: automation is no longer a side experiment, it is becoming standard practice.
Finance leaders are more confident in AI
Three-quarters of respondents said they want to expand automation within their organisations, and 83% expressed a positive outlook on AI's impact on finance processes. That represents a notable jump from 2024, when fewer than two-thirds considered AI a useful tool for speeding up accounting and reporting work.
At the same time, apprehension about the technology has fallen sharply. Only 8% of respondents reported feeling uncomfortable with AI — down from 20% the previous year.
Finance professionals appear to have moved on from early scepticism, with AI now woven more naturally into routine workflows.
Data entry remains a major manual bottleneck
Despite growing automation, manual work has not disappeared. Forty percent of those surveyed identified data entry and imports as significant bottlenecks, highlighting how much time finance teams still spend on repetitive, rule-based tasks. This is precisely where interest in AI-enabled solutions is strongest.
Finance teams are increasingly looking to move beyond pilots and proof-of-concepts, with broad and consistent adoption now well underway across the sector.
The case for AI with human oversight
Aqilla's Chief Product Officer, Charis Thomas, captures the prevailing mood well: finance professionals want AI to remove repetitive work and improve accuracy, but they are not ready, nor should they be, to hand full control over to automated systems. The demand is for tools that support decision-making while keeping humans firmly in the loop.
The practical applications most valued right now include capturing data automatically and suggesting transaction classifications, with users retaining the ability to review, pause, or override outputs at any point. Technology alone is not the whole picture. Governance frameworks and ongoing skills development are equally important as organisations scale their use of AI through the rest of this year.
Balancing AI, automation and accountability
The Aqilla data points to a clear conclusion: the finance function's relationship with AI is maturing. The conversation is no longer about whether to adopt it, but how to do so responsibly. Striking the right balance between automation and human accountability especially under deadline pressure will define how successfully finance teams capitalise on AI for the remainder of 2026.
