There's a conversation happening in every finance team right now. You've probably had it yourself. It starts with someone mentioning AI. It moves through a few knowing nods. And then, more often than not, it stalls.
Everyone agrees something is changing. Fewer seem to know what to do about it.
I'm not an AI specialist. I'm a recruitment consultant. But I sit in the middle of these conversations every day. I hear what CFOs are asking for. I see what candidates are putting on their CVs. And I've watched, over the past twelve months, as the gap between those who are moving and those who are waiting has started to widen.
This year feels different. Not because the technology has suddenly arrived, it's been here for a while. But because the excuses have started to run out.
Recently, our finance team hosted a CFO roundtable in partnership with GenFinance.AI, led by Peter Beard. Peter is a chartered accountant, former EY technology specialist, and now runs a company dedicated to helping finance professionals adopt AI in a practical, responsible way.
The session was titled "From Hype to Hands-On" — and that phrase captured something important.
For years, AI in finance has felt theoretical. Impressive demos. Bold predictions. But for most teams, the day-to-day reality hasn't changed much. The spreadsheets are still there. The manual reconciliations. The reports that take days when they should take hours.
What Peter demonstrated was different. Real use cases. Real tools. Real results.
He walked through a business valuation exercise, the kind of work that would typically take a finance professional two to three days. With the right AI tools and a skilled operator, it was completed in under four hours. Not by replacing the accountant. By augmenting them.
Here's the part that struck me most.
The tools are ready. The platforms are mature. Enterprise-grade AI is more accessible than ever. But adoption is still slow.
Why?
Peter put it simply: The limiting factor is no longer the technology. It's the people.
It's not about budgets or access. It's about capability. Clean data. Clear starting points. The confidence to experiment. The skills to implement.
That's a people problem. And for those of us in recruitment, it's also an opportunity to help.
There was a chart Peter shared that stuck with me.
On one axis, the pace of AI development — estimated at 400 to 500% growth this year alone. On the other, the average annual efficiency improvement in finance teams: somewhere between 0.4% and 1.5%.
The gap between those two lines is widening fast. And with every year that passes, the cost of catching up gets higher.
The firms that start now will learn faster, build better systems, and attract stronger talent. The ones that wait will find themselves playing catch-up, not just on technology, but on capability.
This isn't about hype. It's about compound effects.
From where I sit, the shift is already visible.
Candidates are starting to ask about AI. They want to know what tools the team uses. They want to understand whether the role will give them exposure to new ways of working. The best people are thinking about where they can grow, and AI literacy is becoming part of that equation.
At the same time, clients are asking different questions. They want finance professionals who can adapt, who are curious, who aren't intimidated by change. Some even want finance professionals who already have AI skills and use cases. Technical skills still matter. But mindset is mattering more.
The job descriptions haven't caught up yet. But the expectations are already shifting underneath them.
We've been doing a lot of listening this year. Speaking with finance leaders. Tracking how teams are thinking about AI, automation, and the skills they'll need next.
In January, we'll be releasing our highly anticipated Finance Market Insights Report — a deeper look at what's really happening across finance functions, what's holding teams back, and where the opportunities lie.
If the conversations I've been part of are anything to go by, the findings will resonate.
I've heard a lot of people describe AI as "the future of finance." That framing feels increasingly outdated.
The tools exist. The use cases are proven. The early movers are already seeing results. What's left is a choice: engage now, or explain later why you didn't.
If you're thinking about what this means for your team or your career, we'd be happy to talk.
The Consultancy Group partners with finance leaders across the UK to build high-performing teams. Keep an eye out for our Finance Market Insights Report in January. If you're navigating AI adoption in your function or looking for talent that can help you move forward, get in touch.
