The AICPA and CIMA today unveiled findings from their Future-Ready Finance: Technology, Productivity, and Skills Survey, revealing a significant gap between finance professionals’ expectations of AI’s impact and their organizations’ readiness to adopt it. The results highlight a opportunity for finance teams to strengthen capabilities and position themselves for success in an AI-driven future.
The survey of 1,446 global senior finance and accounting leaders and managers highlights challenges in the organizational readiness for AI:
- 88% of respondents believe AI will be the most transformative technology trend in accounting and finance over the next 12–24 months.
- Yet only 8% feel their organization is very well prepared to manage the AI trend, while 21% feel their organization is well prepared.
- 56% of respondents identified Generative AI (GenAI) as the most prominent skills gap. This reflects a broader shift in the skills landscape, with IT and technological capabilities moving from a secondary concern (20% in 2021) to the top priority today (46%).
The survey also highlights key barriers to technology adoption, with half of respondents (50%) citing a lack of human capital, skills, and talent as the biggest challenge, closely followed by safety and security concerns (47%) and doubts about technology maturity (42%).
“AI is here and reshaping finance, creating opportunities for finance professionals to build future-ready skills,” said Tom Hood, EVP of Business Growth & Engagement at AICPA & CIMA. “Organizations that invest in talent and technology today can turn disruption into a competitive advantage and be best positioned to lead the way tomorrow.”
Other key findings of the survey:
- Barriers to productivity: Lack of skills (41%) and low (organizational productivity) motivation (37%), followed by incompatible technology systems and poor coordination in tech implementation (both at 32%), not only hinder organizational productivity but also slow the adoption of new technologies.
- Skills gaps beyond GenAI: Broader technology skills (AI, big data, cloud, IoT, robotics) remain a concern (37%), alongside data and analytics (36%). Significant gaps also persist in key areas such as communication, influencing, and critical thinking (33%) and business partnering (32%).
- Addressing skills gaps: On-the-job training ranks highest (61%) for effective technology upskilling, reflecting a strong preference for practical, just-in-time learning that integrates with daily work.
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Tags: Accounting, AICPA, Firm Management, Technology
