Embracing the AI workforce: A framework for success

As Director of Customer Success at AppZen, I’ve had a lot of conversations with customers about a topic that's on everyone's minds, lately: how to integrate AI into existing finance teams effectively. Here's a framework for successfully adopting AI into your finance organization.

What is the AI workforce?

An AI workforce can be seen as a collection of AI systems and technologies that can produce human-like output in the workplace. AI technology has changed quite a bit over the last few years. Importantly, these systems can now be monitored and overseen by non-technical folks. You no longer need to be a coding wizard or an IT professional to manage this AI workforce, which makes things easier.

AI and humans form a powerful partnership because each excels at different things. AI is fantastic at tasks like accurate data entry and validation checks, document comparison, audit and compliance checks, and fraud detection. It can do some things that require more complex, additional steps, like pull up relevant data from an invoice and use it to draft an email reply to a vendor.

But, as great as these technological marvels are, there are still a lot of tasks where humans outshine AI. An HR Department might call these “soft skills.” These include relationship-building, strategic thinking, negotiation and conflict resolution, creative problem-solving, leadership, intuition, and empathy. I haven't met an AI model yet that can truly lead or motivate a team!

AI will shape the future of your workforce, but your workforce will also shape the future of AI.

KPMG, “Preparing for the AI-enabled workforce of the future”

Making digital workers work for you

So, how do we address our teams’ concerns and help them “uplevel” using these new tools? How do we make an AI workforce work for us? Start by pointing out to your team how they will be able to:

Eliminate or reduce time-consuming tasks. Any team going cross-eyed from staring at spreadsheets all day will appreciate AI’s ability to handle tasks like auto-approving all low-risk expense reports or accurately predicting missing invoice data so it never needs checking.

Surface timely recommendations. AI is getting good at saying, "Hey, are you sure you want to approve this?" at just the right moment. This empowers the team with the data needed to make better business decisions, improve policies for deeper cost savings, and eliminate fraud. 

Enable more strategic thinking. Freeing up time from mundane tasks gives the team a chance to tackle those high-value projects that always seem to get pushed into the next quarter. These strategic projects are more rewarding and can offer greater company visibility.

A 4-step framework for building an AI-enabled workforce

AI isn’t a fad. Studies indicate spending on AI tools for finance will continue to increase over the coming years. It’s important to consider the best ways to prepare our teams for this AI revolution. They need to know that, not only are they valued, they’re critical partners in this technological movement. They can hate it or they can harness it.

Here are the most important actions to help you create an AI-enabled team:

1. Invest in upskilling. We don't want anyone left behind in this AI wave. Train your employees in emerging AI technologies.
2. Address ethical and security considerations. Ensure employees understand how to use AI safely and ethically, especially within your industry’s regulatory environment.
3. Incorporate AI skills into career paths. Define clear career pathways for roles that AI will likely transform. Some of our customers explicitly call out AI skills in employees’ job levels.
4. Encourage exploration. Give employees the freedom to try out AI tools that can increase productivity within their roles. Ask them to train their peers on what they’ve learned.

I love to share the story of Denali Therapeutics, a biotech company we work with, that did it right. The company has integrated AI into its accounts payable process and is already automating 60% of its invoice processing, which is fantastic. When finance leaders first onboarded AI, they wanted to make sure the team felt comfortable using it. To make it more approachable, the team gave the AI a name: L.I.N.D.A., which stands for “Lament Invoicing, Now Doing Automation.” How clever is that? Today, they have cut their per-invoice processing time in half. And they talk about L.I.N.D.A. like she's part of the team.

You are the key to deciding how AI is adopted

Remember, this isn't a one-way street. As KPMG put it, "AI will shape the future of your workforce, but your workforce will also shape the future of AI." We humans have a say in how this technology is adopted and implemented.

“The irony of general-purpose technologies is that, before long, they become invisible and we take them for granted. Language, agriculture, writing—each was a general-purpose technology at the center of an early wave….”

Mustafa Suleyman, The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemma

Staying on top of AI developments is important and I’d like to propose a few resources that can help. Our glossary of important AI technology terms is a good starting point. The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman is the best book I've read on this topic. Khan Academy has some great courses on AI fundamentals and Stanford offers a free Python course if you want to get technical. And, of course, LinkedIn Learning has several AI-related courses.

Enabling expertise, freeing up focus

I want to re-emphasize that AI adoption isn't about replacing teams. It's about enhancing their capabilities. By automating routine, time-consuming operations and providing valuable insights, we're freeing people to focus on what they do best: strategic thinking, creativity, and innovation.

The future of work is about finding the sweet spot where human expertise meets AI capabilities. If you’re ready to lead the charge, reach out. I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences as you navigate this exciting new frontier. Let's embrace this AI-enabled future together.

As you start your AI integration journey:

1. Define your AI workforce in a way that non-technical folks can understand.
2. Know what tasks are best for AI and what needs a human touch.
3. Point out how AI can eliminate tasks, offer recommendations, and enable strategic thinking.
4. Follow the framework: upskilling, ethics and security, career pathing, and exploration.
5. Draw inspiration from success stories like Denali Therapeutics.
6. Remember, you have a say in how AI is adopted in your organization.
7. Keep learning and stay informed.
   
   

Watch now: Luke's presentation, recorded at AppZen on Tour, Dallas