Five finance tasks AI agents can automate today

Where to start

Good candidates for automation share three traits: high volume, clear rules and a person who can check the output quickly. These five fit that pattern in most finance teams.

1. Supplier invoice capture

An AI agent reads supplier invoices from email or uploads, extracts the supplier, TRN, dates, amounts and VAT, and creates a draft bill in your accounting system.

Human check: approve drafts, especially new suppliers and invoices with unusual VAT treatment.

2. Bank reconciliation

The agent matches bank lines to invoices, payments and receipts, including partial and grouped payments, and proposes matches with a confidence score.

Human check: review low-confidence matches and anything unmatched at month end.

3. Expense coding

Receipts and card transactions are coded to the right account, cost centre and VAT treatment based on past patterns and your policy.

Human check: spot-check samples and review anything outside policy.

4. Collections follow-up

The agent reviews overdue invoices, drafts reminders in the right tone for each customer, and schedules follow-ups.

Human check: approve messages before they go to key customers or before any escalation.

5. Management reporting

The agent pulls the trial balance, compares it with budget and the prior period, and drafts commentary explaining the main variances.

Human check: the finance lead edits the commentary and signs off the pack.

Where people must stay in the loop

Keep human approval for anything that:

• moves money (payments, refunds, write-offs);
• is submitted to a regulator or tax authority;
• changes master data such as bank details;
• goes to customers, banks or auditors.

How to roll it out

1. Pick one task and measure how long it takes today.
2. Run the AI alongside the current process for a month and compare.
3. Set approval rules and log every action the AI takes.
4. Expand only when the error rate is acceptable and the team trusts the output.

FAQ