From headlines to boardrooms, the question keeps coming up: will finance jobs be replaced by AI? A  Citibank report released in 2024 added fuel to the conversation, forecasting that over half of finance roles have a high potential for automation. Their research suggests that 54 percent of jobs in the sector could be fully automated, with another 12 percent likely to be augmented by AI-powered tools.

It is a striking prediction, but not an unfamiliar pattern. The banking industry has seen similar waves of disruption before, from the rise of ATMs dramatically reducing teller jobs to the shift toward digital banking shrinking the number of physical branches. In each case, the technology displaced some roles while creating new ones in response to evolving business models and customer needs.

The same is likely to be true now. The real story isn’t about elimination. It’s about evolution. Roles are being redefined, responsibilities are shifting, and expectations for finance teams are changing. But the core mission of finance, delivering insight, accountability, and strategic guidance, remains just as essential, and arguably more valuable in an AI-enabled world.

The Fear Is Understandable but Often Misplaced

When AI first entered finance, it showed up in the form of process automation. Tools like robotic process automation (RPA) began handling invoice routing, expense approvals, and other routine workflows. It made sense for finance professionals to worry. If machines can do these tasks faster and with fewer errors, what happens to the people doing them?

In practice, widespread job cuts never came. What happened instead was more subtle but more important. Roles began to shift. Repetitive tasks that once filled hours were completed in minutes. That time did not disappear. It was redirected toward more valuable, analytical, and strategic work.

Now we're seeing the rise in agentic AI in finance, but the pattern remains the same. Finance job automation reduces busywork, not headcount. The work still gets done, but with a better use of time and talent. 

This is especially clear in FP&A, where AI tools now support forecasting by running simulations, testing assumptions, and surfacing trends much faster than manual models ever could. Other areas benefiting from the surge in AI include revenue management and billing management.

Will AI Replace Finance Jobs? Not Likely, but It Will Reshape Them

AI tools are excellent at processing large volumes of data, identifying anomalies, and spotting patterns. What they lack is context, accountability, and judgment. These are qualities finance professionals bring to every decision.

A well-trained AI model might flag inconsistencies in sales data or suggest adjustments based on margin projections. But it cannot weigh those recommendations against market shifts, strategic priorities, or stakeholder expectations. That is where human insight remains essential.

So, will AI replace finance jobs? The short answer is no. Instead, as the Corporate Finance Institute points out, it will reshape them. The most forward-thinking finance teams are not asking whether AI will take over. They are asking how to redesign roles to take full advantage of both machine efficiency and human expertise.

The future is not AI versus people. It is AI and people working together to elevate finance from transactional support to strategic leadership.

The Rise of New Skill Sets in Finance

As AI becomes part of daily workflows, the definition of a high-performing finance professional is starting to shift, as AI fluency is becoming a key differentiator in finance careers. Technical fluency, data literacy, and cross-functional communication are now just as important as traditional accounting and reporting skills.

Some of the most valuable capabilities emerging today include:

• Data interpretation and storytelling: Understanding AI-generated forecasts and being able to explain the business meaning behind them.
• Prompting and model interaction: Using well-structured prompts to guide AI tools in planning, reporting, and analysis.
• Collaboration across departments: Working with product, operations, and commercial teams to embed financial insights into broader business conversations.
• Governance and oversight: Ensuring that AI tools are used responsibly, with transparent logic and audit-ready outputs.

These new AI skills for finance professionals do not replace traditional expertise. They expand it. They allow finance teams to be more strategic, responsive, and influential across the business.

Why the Headcount Narrative Falls Short

According to Gartner, 90 percent of finance functions will deploy at least one AI-powered solution by 2026. But fewer than 10 percent expect this to result in job reductions. That tells us something important: AI is not replacing people. It is expanding what finance teams can deliver.

It is easy to frame AI finance automation as a threat to jobs, but that narrative misses the point. Most companies are not using AI to shrink their teams. They are using it to shift their focus. Instead of spending hours on reconciliations or manual report updates, finance professionals are now working with real-time dashboards, dynamic forecasts, and scenario modeling. AI is helping finance teams spend less time chasing data and more time guiding decisions.

Rethinking Finance Talent Strategy

As finance roles evolve, so must the way organizations think about talent. The shift toward AI-enhanced workflows is not just about tools. It is about people. Companies that want to stay competitive need to be proactive in adapting their hiring, development, and team design.

That means:

• Updating role definitions to reflect the growing importance of analysis, storytelling, and strategic input.
• Investing in training that goes beyond theory and gives teams hands-on experience with AI tools.
• Building blended teams that combine traditional finance knowledge with digital fluency. In some cases, that means hiring new skill sets. In others, it means focusing on upskilling in finance to help current employees grow into more modern roles.

Ultimately, AI is not shrinking finance teams, it's broadening their impact. It allows smaller teams to deliver greater value, faster, and with more precision.

The Future of Finance Is Human-Centered

As AI becomes a standard part of finance platforms, the demand for faster insights, deeper analysis, and continuous planning is only increasing. But AI alone cannot deliver those outcomes. It still takes human curiosity, critical thinking, and business context to turn outputs into action.

That is why the future of finance is not about choosing between people and machines. It is about combining their strengths. This is what human in the loop finance looks like: machines handle the processing, while people bring the perspective.

To succeed, finance professionals need space to learn, experiment, and evolve. Fear-driven narratives only slow this progress. When the focus shifts toward capability and contribution, teams become more confident, more strategic, and more valuable.

A Vayu Perspective

In our work with finance teams, we see a clear pattern. AI removes friction. It automates tedious steps in revenue modeling, pricing analysis, and forecasting. But the insight that drives a smart business decision still comes from a person.

We do not see AI as a replacement. We see it as a multiplier. It makes finance sharper, faster, and more responsive. In AI in financial planning and analysis, for example, automation can speed up iterations, but the real value comes when teams use that extra time to explore assumptions, challenge thinking, and guide decisions.

This is how AI is changing finance careers. It is shifting the role from reactive support to strategic partnership. Sometimes transformation starts with a single workflow. Other times, it begins with a simple question: how can finance spend less time wrestling with data and more time creating value?

At Vayu, we help teams answer that question. Because real transformation doesn’t come from the tools themselves. It comes from the people who know how to use them well.