The global pandemic highlighted the increasingly important role Accounts Payable (AP) plays within a company’s financial operations. It also made clear that manual processes impede efficiency and visibility, and can actually threaten business continuity and resilience. An automated AP department, on the other hand, can impact the greater enterprise through intelligence, insights, and financial efficiency. This Ardent Partners research report examines how AI is enabling AP departments to achieve Best-in-Class performance levels and gain competitive advantage by accelerating the transition from automated to autonomous finance operations, enabling AP to become a true hub of intelligence and strategic effectiveness.