CFOs Spend 93% of AI Budgets on Tech, Only 7% on People

Finance organizations are pouring resources into artificial intelligence infrastructure while starving the human side of the equation, according to finance leaders speaking at Fortune's Emerging CFO webinar this week.

A Deloitte examination of client AI expenditures found that companies devote 93% of their spending to data, technology, and infrastructure—leaving only 7% for enabling people to use those tools effectively. Casey Caram, principal and human capital practice leader at Deloitte, described this imbalance as a potential gap between technology investment and human capability.

The three-layer skill model

Caram outlined a framework for finance skills in the AI era. Traditional capabilities like accounting and forecasting form the foundation. A growing layer of AI and data fluency sits above that. At the top are what he called "essential human skills"—judgment, critical thinking, and the ability to ask the right questions.

These human skills are becoming more valuable as automation expands, not less. Yet they're precisely where companies are underinvesting.

The adoption barrier

Marie Myers, CFO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, identified human adoption as a critical and often overlooked barrier. Long-tenured professionals with deeply ingrained expertise can struggle to change how they work, she said.

"When we implement new technologies, we spend a lot of time all obsessed about the tech, and I think we don't spend enough time thinking about the impact on people themselves," Myers said. At HPE, her team used AI to overhaul internal operating reviews, cutting manual work—but success required bringing everyone along.

Myers emphasized curiosity as a key skill for keeping pace with AI's rapid evolution. "You're not going to drive successful change if you don't bring everybody along with you," she added.

Beyond the numbers

Tim Arndt, CFO of Prologis, described how AI is accelerating the CFO role's shift from stewardship toward strategy and enterprise leadership. By automating routine tasks, AI frees time for higher-value work. "The expectation now is to be a partner at the executive table," he said.

Tucker Marshall, CFO of J.M. Smucker Co., said his company is investing in talent development from early-career programs to mid-level hires with data and analytics expertise. But building communication skills matters just as much, he noted, so finance teams can translate insights into action.

Noémie Heuland, CFO of Moody's, warned of "KPI overload" as data volumes grow. Finance leaders must filter signal from noise and contextualize data—connecting financial metrics to broader business objectives rather than over-quantifying at the expense of strategic clarity.

Why it matters

The 93-7 spending split reveals a fundamental misalignment in enterprise AI strategy. Companies risk building sophisticated systems that employees can't use effectively, undermining return on investment. As AI capabilities commoditize across organizations, the differentiating factor will be human judgment and adaptability—precisely the areas receiving the least investment. For finance leaders, this represents both a risk and an opportunity to reshape how their organizations approach transformation.

These insights were shared during Fortune's Emerging CFO webinar in partnership with Workday, as reported by Fortune.