AI in Finance: A Strategic Guide for CFOs

As AI technologies become more prevalent in the finance industry, it’s crucial to consider the ethical implications of these tools. Before we dive into the world of AI applications in finance, it is essential to understand the core concepts and principles that drive this technology. The world of finance is changing rapidly, with disruptive technologies and shifting consumer expectations reshaping the landscape.

Artificial intelligence (AI) in finance is the use of technology, including advanced algorithms and machine learning (ML), to analyze data, automate tasks and improve decision-making in the financial services industry. AI is being used by banks and fintech lenders in a variety of back-office and client-facing use-cases. When it comes to credit risk management of loan portfolios, ML models used to predict corporate defaults have been shown to produce superior results compared to standard statistical models (e.g. logic regressions) when limited information is available (Bank of Italy, 2019[17]). AI-based systems can also help analyse the degree of interconnectedness between borrowers, allowing for better risk management of lending portfolios. Many financial institutions are incorporating AI into their portfolio valuation processes to address these challenges.

  • High volume, mundane processes, such as invoice entry, can lead to fatigue, burnout, and error in humans.
  • For example, finance organizations can leverage digital assistants to notify teams when expenses are out of compliance or to automatically submit expense reports for faster reimbursement.
  • It’s no exaggeration to say that AI has had a meteoric impact on nearly every industry today, with experts predicting an annual growth rate of 37.3% from now until 2030.
  • Although many countries have dedicated AI strategies (OECD, 2019[52]), a very small number of jurisdictions have current requirements that are specifically targeting AI-based algorithms and models.
  • According to the 2021 research report “Money and Machines,” by Savanta and Oracle, 85% of business leaders want help from artificial intelligence.

If you’re considering building a game-changing AI solution and don’t know where to start, talk to us. Algorithmic trading (aka algo trading) allows traders to execute trades more accurately and faster. Using AI to unlock the potential in the finance sector offers limitless possibilities. It’s a journey that financial chiefs need to consider and open the door to more innovations. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data.

Applications of Finance AI

Traders may intentionally add to the general lack of transparency and explainability in proprietary ML models so as to retain their competitive edge. This, in turn, can raise issues related to the supervision of ML models and algorithms. In addition, the use of algorithms in trading can also make collusive outcomes easier to sustain and more likely to be observed in digital markets (OECD, 2017[16]).

  • Optimizing strategies using instruments like equity derivatives and interest-rate swaps may allow institutions to optimize portfolios and offer better prices to customers.
  • Oracle’s AI is directly interactive with user behavior, for example, showing a list of the most likely values that an end-user would pick.
  • By incorporating copilots into their workflow, wealth managers can significantly enhance their productivity and deliver more valuable insights.
  • Generative AI will eventually collaborate with traditional AI forecasting tools to create reports, explain variances, and provide recommendations, thereby elevating the finance function’s ability to generate forward-looking insights.
  • With the visible benefits, there are several financial services organizations that are exploring AI-based fraud prevention.

The need to ramp up cybersecurity and fraud detection efforts is now a necessity for any bank or financial institution, and AI plays a key role in improving the security of online finance. Let’s take a look at the areas where artificial intelligence in finance is gaining momentum and highlight the companies that are leading the way. Meta should be able to score additional AI-driven wins with its content feeds and ad platforms, and it’s still in the early stages of monetizing chatbots and using AI to advance its metaverse vision. With its massive global user base, data access, and deep technology resources, the company is in a good position to keep racking up long-term wins.

Cost Management

Robo-advisors appeal to those interested in investing but lack the technical knowledge to make investment decisions independently. Much cheaper than human asset managers, they are a popular choice for first-time investors with a small capital base. The cost of eCommerce fraud alone is projected to surpass $48 billion worldwide in 2023, compared to just over $41 billion in the previous year. Furthermore, fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated and difficult to identify using conventional, rule-based approaches, making it challenging for financial institutions to meet anti-money laundering compliance requirements.

Spend Management Transformation in the AI Era: A Framework

This iterative approach is essential for cutting through the hype surrounding generative AI and developing a nuanced understanding of the technology’s practical applications and concrete value in the finance function. Finance functions of global companies have not escaped the buzz surrounding the transformative potential of generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Google Bard. To see beyond the hype, CFOs need a nuanced understanding of how these tools will reshape work in the finance function of the future.

What are the risks of not implementing AI in finance?

And if we look at the spend management process specifically, AI can be used to detect fraudulent invoices, duplicate payments, and expenses that breaching company policies. By working with supplier-specific models, Yokoy’s AI-engine is able to process invoices with much higher accuracy rates than other invoice automation apps on the market. When security and medicare an invoice is uploaded into the tool, the AI model analyzes line items submitted by that particular supplier, and looks for associations between keywords and selected line items. Once this analysis is done, the AI model applies the learnings and pre-populates the dedicated fields, eliminating the need for human intervention almost entirely.

Section three offers policy implications from the increased deployment of AI in finance, and policy considerations that support the use of AI in finance while addressing emerging risks. It provides policy recommendations that can assist policy makers in supporting AI innovation in finance, while sharpening their existing arsenal of defences against risks emerging from, or exacerbated by, the use of AI. Insider Intelligence estimates both online and mobile banking adoption among US consumers will rise by 2024, reaching 72.8% and 58.1%, respectively—making AI implementation critical for FIs looking to be successful and competitive in the evolving industry. Despite its remarkable potential to help finance organizations navigate complex, high-volume data, generative AI’s limitations introduce real challenges that CFOs must raise when considering use of generative AI in finance and across the organization. Successful CFOs partner with senior technology leadership (e.g., the CIO, chief data officer, chief information security officer) to distinguish hype from reality, and then share the results of those conversations with other executive leadership team members. Shapeshift is a decentralized digital crypto wallet and marketplace that supports more than 750 cryptocurrencies.

Financial Services institutions are looking to AI to help them improve customer experience, grow revenue, and improve operational efficiency. Many banks have found that implementing AI requires financial investment and machine learning expertise and tools to fine-tune models on proprietary data to maximize their investments and achieve their goals. In this guide, we will identify several opportunities to apply AI in finance and how to get started so you can stay ahead of the competition. Possible risks of concentration of certain third-party providers may rise in terms of data collection and management (e.g. dataset providers) or in the area of technology (e.g. third party model providers) and infrastructure (e.g. cloud providers) provision. AI models and techniques are being commoditised through cloud adoption, and the risk of dependency on providers of outsourced solutions raises new challenges for competitive dynamics and potential oligopolistic market structures in such services.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *