When it comes to automation and artificial intelligence (AI), the future is now for the CFO.

It's not because AI is upending the structure of the finance labor market; that effect likely won't be felt for many years, as we point out in our AI predictions for 2018. (See our first prediction: AI will impact employers before it impacts employment.)

And it's not because finance functions are struggling to hire computer science Ph.D.s with machine learning expertise. That's a deep challenge for many corporations, but it's not necessarily on the CFO's plate.

The future is now because all finance staff, not coders, need to make a big adjustment. Automation is the future, but professionals are the present. If finance teams stick with the familiar tools they know and love, they won't be fit for purpose for a finance function built with next-generation technology, such as intelligent process automation (IPA), AI, and beyond. So the finance team is on the critical path to the future of the profession.