According to a new study from enterprise finance management platform OneStream, artificial intelligence readiness tapers off considerably from college-age finance students to senior finance professionals, exposing a key AI skills gap at a time when AI-driven finance is critical to business growth.
The study, which polled 2,504 respondents, including corporate finance professionals and college students studying finance across the U.S. and the United Kingdom, reveals that while AI and other technologies are becoming integral to the field, AI experience levels, skills gaps, and cross-generational divides are starting to become a problem for businesses.
Specifically, the study found that two-thirds (66%) of current corporate finance professionals say they currently use AI at work. Eighty-six percent of all respondents, including current professionals and students, believe they’ll use AI tools at least somewhat often in their careers, with one-third (33%) expecting to rely on AI tools significantly.
While today’s college grads have grown up engaged in technology, real-world use cases for AI in finance remain unclear, and confidence levels vary, OneStream said. Only 57% of current finance professionals think new hires should be required to have tech skills in addition to core accounting knowledge, and one in 10 (11%) wish they had AI and machine learning skills when starting their own career.
The OneStream study also uncovered a stark drop in AI skills readiness and confidence as careers advance. Eighty-nine percent of finance students say they have enough experience with AI to use it in their work. However, just 54% of senior finance professionals (10 or more years of experience) and 63% of young finance professionals (less than 10 years of experience) say the same.
In addition, more than half (57%) of current finance professionals say a generational technology divide is a pain point within their organizations. Of those acknowledging a tech divide exists, the AI skills gap (44%), the pace of technology changes (44%), and attitudes toward AI replacing tasks (40%) are the top reasons why.
“Today’s news tells us that finance teams are navigating skills gaps, AI readiness, and battling burnout—all while facing more pressure than ever to forecast faster, identify risks sooner, and work smarter,” OneStream CEO Tom Shea said in a statement. “The next generation of finance professionals are entering the field with optimism and a drive for innovation. They need the right technology to close these gaps and equip their teams with the tools, insights, and confidence to lead strategically in a rapidly evolving environment.”
When it comes to building the next generation of finance leaders, the study reveals that women corporate finance professionals are trailing their male counterparts in AI and technology adoption, despite an eagerness to incorporate the technology into their work. Men already report using AI at a higher frequency than women in the workplace, with 71% of men saying they rely on AI at least somewhat often versus 61% of women.
Only 56% of young female finance professionals say they feel prepared to use AI versus 69% of young men. Notably, 30% of young women also say automation and AI will be the most significant challenge facing their career over the next 10 years, according to the study.
The gender divide holds true for students who will make up the next generation of finance professionals. Among current finance students, only 12% of female students expect to rely heavily on AI versus 68% of male students. Additionally, 91% of male student respondents expect to use AI at least somewhat in their careers, compared to 81% of their female peers. This gap in expectations mirrors a gap in experience, according to OneStream: Only 65% of female finance students report feeling they have enough experience with AI to use it at work, compared to 93% of male students.
Amid an uncertain economic backdrop, a career in finance is still appealing, respondents say. The top motivators for pursuing a career in finance include job stability (63%), high salary (57%), and a clear roadmap for career growth (55%).
Despite alignment on career appeal, perception gaps persist around workload and burnout. Nearly four in five (79%) students expect to work less than 40 hours per week, only 15% have a negative perception that a career path in finance comes with working long hours, and only 16% associate a finance career with burnout.
However, current finance professionals paint a much different picture. Fifty-eight percent say they work 40 hours or more per week, and 57% have experienced burnout firsthand. In fact, when asked to identify top reasons for turnover on their teams, finance professionals cited work-life balance issues (44%) and burnout (35%).
Only half (51%) of current professionals say they believe new graduates are prepared for the realities of finance jobs. Specifically, current professionals say the most crucial skills for today’s new hires include technical acumen (22%), strong work ethic (21%), and business strategy and problem solving (20%).
“As the next generation enters the workforce in an era of rapid AI adoption, there’s a growing disconnect between what new talent expects and what the job actually demands,” said Pam McIntyre, senior vice president and corporate controller at OneStream. “If we want to keep great people in finance, we need to equip them with the right skills to thrive. That means investing in early training programs and adopting modern finance practices that will free up professionals to focus on strategic decisions that drive the business forward.”
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