I've been using AI in my finance workflows for a while now.
I've been using AI in my finance workflows for a while now. But about 60 days ago something shifted. The output stopped looking like AI output. The analysis was sharp, the structure was clean, and for the first time I felt comfortable putting my name on the work and sending it to senior leadership and key stakeholders. Anyone in finance knows what that bar feels like.
What used to take hours to sometimes days now takes minutes. But speed isn't the real story. The real story is depth. I'm running deep dives on problems I never had the bandwidth to go past surface-level on. Building scenario models with dozens of variables and layered sensitivities. Fully automating end-to-end reporting processes. Getting real-time analytical feedback on board narratives before they ever reach the boardroom.
But the tool isn't why it's working. The reason it's working is that I'm in it. Every day. Learning, building, breaking things and rebuilding them. Not hiring a vendor to spend six figures, build something nobody understands, and leave behind a tool nobody uses.
AI adoption in finance only works when the finance person IS the AI person. Domain expertise and tool expertise have to sit in the same chair. You can't outsource that. It's a skillset, not a software implementation.
Anthropic recently released Cowork, which lets AI work across your files and workflows autonomously. I've been pressure testing it daily, and this week I'm pushing it hard to see how far it can expand into other areas of the finance function. It feels like an arms race to stay ahead of the curve right now, and the gap between finance leaders who are learning this and those who aren't is widening by the week.
I'm a CPA with 12+ years across EY, Fortune 100 FP&A, and PE-backed operations. I've sat through a lot of vendor pitches. This is the first time the competitive advantage goes to the practitioner who learns it, not the company that sells it.
If you're in strategic finance and want to compare notes, let's connect. Getting started is the hardest part, and I'm happy to share what I've learned so far.
The tools are ready. The question is whether finance leaders are willing to get their hands dirty.