A recent Salesforce study has found that many Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) across different industries are shifting their approach to artificial intelligence, with many now considering AI to be an important part of their company’s long-term vision.
With newfound potential for growth, revenue, and positive business outcomes, the perception of bringing AI into the enterprise fold is changing quickly. While many were initially skeptical and conservative when the conversation began a few years ago, the large majority of CFOs now view AI as pivotal and are more open to significant investment, according to Salesforce.
Analyzing the Stats
In 2020, many CFOs were still cautious around artificial intelligence and its potential workplace impact, with 70% maintaining a “conservative” AI strategy, per Salesforce’s research. The technology was still in its infancy, and many had concerns about the ethical issues that AI raises.
When reading the State of AI report from 2020, it’s clear that while strong enthusiasm for AI’s progress and ROI was there, there were still widely acknowledged concerns about bias, safety, regulation, and uneven real-world deployment.
Fast forward to now, and the sentiment around the topic looks a lot different. AI has seeped into the daily lives of many and is also gradually being integrated into workforces. As we move closer towards agentic AI – and maybe, one day, artificial general intelligence (AGI) – those who may have been skeptical initially have come full circle.
According to Salesforce’s research, 61% of 261 CFOs globally believe agentic AI – or more specifically, a digital labor workforce – is the driving force behind this change of opinion. The “conservative” 70% from five years ago has now dropped all the way down to 4%, and a third of respondents have officially adopted an “aggressive” approach to workplace AI adoption.
The terminology being used in Salesforce’s research – conservative and aggressive – is particularly interesting, as it frames AI adoption not just as a technology decision, but as a strategic posture toward change, risk, and competitive positioning.
Salesforce’s study also found that many CFOs are utilizing agentic AI to assist them with their day-to-day tasks and help them make business decisions. So not only is it beneficial to the entire business, but it also frees up more time for CFOs themselves to focus on more important tasks.
Some other interesting stats from the study include:
- 61% of CFOs say AI agents/digital labor is critical, and will continue to be critical, to compete in the current economic environment.
- On average, CFOs report dedicating 25% of their current total AI budget to AI agents.
- 74% of CFOs believe that AI agents will not only cut costs but also drive revenue.
- 55% of CFOs think AI agents will take on more strategic work than routine tasks.
- 72% of CFOs say AI agents will transform their business model.
- 61% of CFOs say AI agents change how they evaluate ROI.
The Prevalent Risks of AI Investment
The promise of agentic AI is exciting, and it’s clear that many CFOs are prepared to focus their company’s budget on a digital labor workforce. But agentic AI is still far from perfect, and for many industries, anything less than immaculate from AI may not be enough.
Per Salesforce’s research, several CFOs are still concerned about security and privacy threats (66%), as well as the long time to ROI (56%). A CFO survey respondent told Salesforce: “Other technology does not typically involve the ethical risks AI does. If AI goes wrong, the reputational cost affects ROI in ways regular tools never would.”
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff recently disclosed in an interview that Salesforce’s agents were currently performing at 93% accuracy. While this may look good on paper, this is well below the standard that most companies would likely be required to meet. Hypothetically, 93% means that per 100,000 agent use cases, 7,000 are likely to hallucinate, or, as the respondent says, “go wrong”.
If the figure Benioff stated is correct, then CFOs have every right to remain slightly cautious around agentic AI, even if they continue to aggressively invest. In high-stakes business contexts, even a small error rate can translate into significant financial, operational, and reputational risk.
Final Thoughts
AI is flourishing and reshaping the business landscape in the process. Agent technology is giving companies a fresh perspective on how to allocate their investments. If agents can consistently deliver strong performance, CFOs are likely to maintain an aggressive adoption strategy.
Still, the risks are hard to ignore. Many organizations are only one hallucination away from a PR crisis, and any shift in strategy should be approached with cautious optimism.
