Coupa says a growing disconnect between ambition and execution is shaping how chief financial officers approach artificial intelligence, even as most view it as critical to future growth.
In its 2026 Strategic CFO Report, the company found 85 per cent of CFOs identify AI as central to their strategy, yet 92 per cent are concerned about their ability to implement it, up from 66 per cent last year.
“The rulebook for growth has fundamentally changed,” said Michael Agresta, Coupa’s CFO. “AI has moved from a speculative bet to a non-negotiable business strategy. Consequently, the CFO’s role has evolved into that of an enterprise transformation agent. AI can provide a strategic foundation when combined with trusted data, but it also must be combined and aligned with future plans for workforce design and change management, to achieve the desired operational and financial gains across the entire business.”
The report points to fragmented data as a key barrier, with only five per cent of respondents able to access company spend data instantly in a single system. CFOs say they lose an average of 26 hours per month manually reconciling data.
More than one-third of finance leaders report that financial processes still require manual intervention, while 73 per cent cite data quality and AI readiness as their primary obstacle. Another 76 per cent say unclear return on investment is limiting further AI adoption, although those with fully digital processes are three times more likely to expect returns within 12 months.
The report also highlights a shift toward agentic AI, with 41 per cent of CFOs saying autonomous workflow execution will deliver the most significant long-term financial returns.
To prepare, 42 per cent say they are prioritizing upskilling their teams in AI as part of a broader shift toward automation and strategic oversight.
“The value of AI isn’t about taking costs out but enabling people to focus on the work that matters most,” added Agresta. “Bridging the technology chasm requires more than buying software, it requires a partner. Coupa’s $9.5 trillion proprietary data moat informs our autonomous agents, allowing them to make high-quality decisions in real time. When you measure AI’s impact holistically on the value delivered to the organization through employee empowerment and workforce reinvention, the path becomes clearer.”
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