The role of the CFO is undergoing a profound transformation.
No longer confined to balancing the books and the monthly close, today’s finance leaders are navigating talent shortages, evolving compliance demands, and economic unpredictability.
In fact, 82% of CFOs say their responsibilities have expanded significantly in the last five years.
This shift isn’t just about doing more; it’s about doing things differently.
The stakes are high, and the margin for error is slim.
Finance leaders need technology that not only scales with complexity but can also be trusted to operate with precision and purpose. That’s where AI comes in, but not just any AI.
At Sage, we understand that trust is non-negotiable when it comes to AI.
That’s why we’ve introduced five AI commitments designed to ensure our solutions are built ethically and without bias.
Our dedication to safety, transparency, and accountability means CFOs can rely on AI tools that empower them to make smarter decisions while upholding the highest standards of integrity.
And we’re building those AI tools from the ground up.
Purpose-built AI is the foundation for success.
Off-the-shelf generative AI tools weren’t built for the complexities of accounting.
They weren’t designed to navigate financial regulations, recognise accounting standards, or protect the sensitivity of financial data.
The output from basic AI can be unpredictable and will only ever be as good as the person who programmed it.
And that’s a risk the finance industry simply can’t afford.
We’ve taken a different approach, one rooted in domain expertise and built on a foundation of trust.
We’ve trained our LLMs on curated, product-specific datasets including technical documents, configuration materials, and support content.
These models don’t just deliver performance; they reflect a deep understanding of the workflows that finance teams rely on every day.
Because when AI is built with intention and responsibility, it doesn’t replace the accountant. It empowers them.
From tools to agents: The next chapter of intelligent finance
We’re (rapidly) entering a new phase in the AI lifecycle, one defined by agents; the agentic AI market is still in its early stages, but it’s growing fast and projected to rise from $5 billion today to $47 billion by 2030.
Unlike traditional tools that respond to prompts, agents can make decisions, execute tasks, and manage multi-step workflows end-to-end with minimal human oversight.
In finance, this means transforming the monthly close, accelerating invoice processing and streamlining reconciliation.
With Sage Copilot, we’ve created a system that’s intuitive on the surface and powerful underneath – one that delivers predictable, reliable performance even as the complexity behind the scenes increases.
Already, Sage Copilot and our AI-powered AP automation capabilities are helping finance teams to speed up the close, and as we lean into agentic AI, this automation will advance even further.
It will crucially free up more time and elevate the strategic role of finance teams.
Agents won’t replace tools like Sage Copilot; they’ll enhance them.
Agentic AI builds on existing capabilities by combining predictive, generative, and agentic technologies, meaning it can not only analyse and generate insights but also take autonomous actions to achieve specific goals.
It represents a new frontier in software development, a leap beyond conversational AI.
And as AI assumes more routine and repetitive tasks, finance teams will be able to gain the time and space to focus on what truly matters: strategic insights, business advisory, and forward-looking planning.
Earning trust with every interaction
Technology can only deliver value if it earns the user’s trust, especially in finance.
That’s why at Sage Future, our annual conference that brings together thousands of customers and partners, we launched the AI Trust Label: a first-of-its-kind initiative with clear, accessible insights into how we develop AI and how it operates within our products.
It shows users how data is protected, how bias is mitigated, and what ethical safeguards are in place.
This initiative was built directly from our conversations with SMBs.
Among those who trust AI, over four in five (85%) say they actively use it in their business, compared to just 48% among those who don’t.
Businesses told us they needed clarity, accountability, and transparency, and we listened.
The Trust Label is one piece of a much broader commitment to align our AI development practices with internationally recognised frameworks, including the NIST AI Risk Management Framework and the UK Government’s AI Cyber Security Code of Practice.
In South Africa, this approach aligns closely with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and the King IV Report on Corporate Governance, both of which emphasise ethical, transparent, and secure use of technology.
And it’s all fundamentally done with one goal in mind: to build responsible AI that organisations can rely on.
A human-centric future, in partnership with the industry
Autonomous agents represent a fundamental shift in how finance is done. But the benefits of this shift can only be realised if the technology is held to the highest professional and ethical standards.
That’s why we’re partnering with the AICPA, marking the first collaboration of its kind between an AI vendor and the global accountancy profession.
We’re licensing AICPA content, including training materials and professional literature, to ensure our LLMs are trained to reflect the highest standards of accuracy, ethics, and trust.
LLMs essentially act as the ‘brain’ that will enable agentic AI to think, plan, and execute tasks more autonomously, transforming them from reactive response systems to proactive problem-solving agents.
This initiative begins in the U.S., but the implications are global.
We’re already in discussions with professional bodies around the world to bring this trusted, industry-aligned model to new markets.
Because ultimately, AI should enhance human potential, not replace it.
It should streamline the complex, simplify the routine, and elevate what people can achieve.
For finance teams, this means stepping into a new era of confident decision-making, deeper insights, and strategic leadership.
We’re building that future one trustworthy interaction at a time.
*The author of this article is Aaron Harris, CTO of Sage. The views expressed by Aaron Harris are not necessarily those of The Bulrushes
