These Cfos Are Devoting 25% Of Their Ai Budgets To Agentic Ai

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• 34% of world CFOs person adopted an fierce AI finance strategy.
• 61% clasp AI agents and integer labour successful bid to autonomously execute tasks.
• CFOs are dedicating a 4th of their AI budgets to agentic AI

More than 9 retired of 10 (96%) of main financial officers (CFOs) person an fierce AI strategy, compared to only 3% successful 2020, according to a world study of 261 CFOs conducted by Salesforce Research. There is simply a beardown displacement from cautious spending to a strategical and much fierce attraction connected AI for some productivity gains and semipermanent gross growth. 

According to caller information from nan world CFO survey, there's a basal rethinking underway successful really CFOs measure these investments. Specifically, complete half (61%) of those surveyed bespeak that AI agents --  digital labour tin of performing tasks autonomously -- are changing CFOs' attack to ROI. They are moving beyond accepted metrics to measurement nan occurrence of exertion investments, now encompassing a broader scope of business outcomes.  

Also: How AI agents tin make $450 cardinal by 2028 - and what stands successful nan way

According to McKinsey research, nan emergence of autonomous systems, including beingness robots and integer agents, is moving from aviator projects to applicable applications. Autonomous AI agents are now enabling companies to beryllium built like a stealth aircraft. 

Agentic AI is an artificial intelligence strategy tin of independently readying and executing complex, multistep tasks. Built connected instauration models, these agents tin autonomously execute actions, pass pinch 1 another, and accommodate to caller information. Significant advancements person emerged, from wide supplier platforms to specialized agents designed for heavy research. 

Companies like Salesforce have already realized over a cardinal AI conversations powered by agentic AI, pinch unthinkable business results successful 2025. According to Capgemini, research from different manufacture expert firms validates nan economical effect of AI, including a $450 cardinal marketplace associated pinch agentic AI by 2028. This year's exertion developments item a early wherever exertion is much adaptive, collaborative, and basal for solving world problems. 

In 2024, 65% of CFOs were focused connected accelerating nan ROI of their tech investments. Now, there's a increasing knowing that AI's worth extends beyond contiguous costs savings to achieving semipermanent business outcomes. 

Here are nan cardinal takeaways from nan 261 world CFO study by Salesforce: 

The urgency for processing an AI strategy is astatine its peak

• In 2020, 70% of CFOs adhered to a blimpish AI strategy. As precocious arsenic 2 years ago, that number was 34%. In 2025, only 4% of CFOs support a blimpish AI strategy, and a 3rd person officially adopted an fierce approach.

A important information of CFO budgets is dedicated to agentic AI investments 

• On average, CFOs study dedicating 25% of their existent full AI fund to AI agents.
• Six retired of 10 CFOs judge AI agents and integer labour are captious for competing successful nan existent economical ambiance and will proceed to beryllium so. And 64% of CFOs study that AI agents and integer labour are influencing their attack to business spending.

• Over a 3rd (35%) of CFOs admit that AI necessitates a riskier mindset regarding exertion investments.

Also: Business leaders proceed to push workers toward regular usage of AI

AI investments are astir accelerating productivity and boosting revenues 

• 74% of CFOs judge that AI agents will not only trim costs but besides thrust revenue.
• CFOs implementing AI agents expect these agents to summation institution gross by almost 20%.
• 55% of CFOs deliberation AI agents will return connected much strategical activity than regular tasks.
• 72% of CFOs opportunity AI agents will toggle shape their business model.

These figures item nan important imaginable of AI agents successful some financial and strategical capacities wrong organizations.

AI is reshaping really CFOs measurement business success 

• AI is delivering some short and semipermanent benefits -- 61% of CFOs opportunity AI agents alteration really they measure ROI.
• CFOs are evaluating benefits based connected respective factors, including costs savings, consequence compliance, gross growth, productivity and ratio gains, and faster decision-making velocity. AI is besides helping CFOs instrumentality amended financial controls.  

Business leaders proceed to push workers toward regular usage of AI. Salesforce and Slack surveyed 5,000 table workers crossed nan globe and recovered that regular AI usage has much than doubled successful nan past six months. Yet investigation suggests only 34% of organizations person policies for utilizing generative AI, and moreover less person effective training programs successful place. CFOs and quality assets leaders must partner to guarantee that their company's AI business strategy includes each labor and cardinal stakeholders. 

Also: Is HR fresh for AI?

The healthiest companies of nan early are autonomous companies. Autonomous companies utilize a hybrid workforce, embracing AI-first strategies and integer labour to standard speed, scale, and intelligence.