AI for Finance: Top AI Tools for a Finance Professional
A finance professional conducts numerous long and tedious tasks each day. Some of these tasks include collecting and analyzing large amounts of financial data to conduct budgets, forecast business decisions, and manage bookkeeping. This is on top of the work that a finance professional must do to consult with either internal or external clients.
With all the time-consuming tasks that finance professionals must get done each day, dedicating an appropriate amount of time and care to clients once seemed impossible. With the recent explosive use of AI tools for finance, though, finance professionals can now complete their finance and accounting tasks much more quickly and efficiently.
What are AI Tools?
The acronym AI stands for artificial intelligence. An AI tool is a software application that uses artificial intelligence to solve problems and perform certain tasks.
The Rise of AI for Finance
Due to how quickly and accurately AI tools can organize large amounts of data and information, many different industries are now incorporating them into their work processes. One industry, in particular, that has been able to greatly benefit from the use of AI tools is the finance industry.
10 AI Tools for a Finance Professional
There are countless AI tools for finance that finance professionals everywhere are now incorporating into their daily work processes. 10 AI tools for finance are outlined below.
1. ChatGPT
Launched only in November of 2022, ChatGPT is arguably the most successful and well-known AI for finance used today. ChatGPT is an open AI tool that uses natural language processing to create human-like, conversational text.
Because of ChatGPT’s ability to quickly create long forms of conversational text with as little as a simple prompt, finance professionals have started using it to create blogs and other forms of content for their websites. ChatGPT is also a great tool for brainstorming content ideas.
ChatGPT Reviews:
Since being launched, ChatGPT has received glowing reviews, making it a massive success in the world of AI for finance. Some recent positive reviews of ChatGPT displayed on Capterra.com include the following:
“What I like most about ChatGPT is its ability to provide quick and accurate answers to a wide range of questions. It was incredibly helpful in getting information and explanations on various topics.”
“Overall, the tool is pretty robust, and the addition of plugins makes its capabilities even better and increases even simple functionality. Their customer support is excellent.”
ChatGPT Price:
The standard form of ChatGPT is free to all users.
ChatGPT Plus costs $20.00 a month. ChatGPT Plus is for individuals who are looking to personally or professionally amplify their productivity.
ChatGPT Teams costs $25.00 per user a month, billed annually, or $30.00 per user a month billed monthly. ChatGPT Teams is for fast-moving teams looking to supercharge collaboration.
For innovative companies looking to use ChatGPT to scale securely, there is ChatGPT Enterprise. For pricing information on the Enterprise form of ChatGPT, a user must contact ChatGPT’s sales department.
2. Datarails FP&A Genius
Datarails FP&A Genius is a ChatGPT-style chatbot made for many finance professionals. One great feature of the Datarails FP&A Genius chatbot is its ability to connect to data in real-time. This makes any financial information it provides accurate and up-to-date.
Another Datarails FP&A Genius feature that makes it one of the best AI tools for finance is its ability to connect all of a company’s finance integrations and data sources into one source of truth.
Also, unlike ChatGPT and many other chatbot AI tools, a finance professional that uses Datarails FP&A Genius can rest assured that all data that comes from the chatbot tool comes from trusted and secure sources. Datarails FP&A Genius even provides its users with dashboards and visuals that they can use in finance presentations.
Datarails FP&A Genius Review:
A finance professional who worked for various businesses had great results when using the Datarails FP&A Genius AI for finance. The project manager from Nova Medical Centers even gave a glowing review of Datarails FP&A Genius on their website.
According to Melissa McKenzie, the project manager at Nova Medical Centers, Datarails FP&A Genius is fast, valuable, informative, and easy to use. “It’s been phenomenal,” states Melissa. “It has made it so easy for us to pull our data together.”
Another positive review of FP&A Genius comes from Tereza Sahakian, the Director of Financial Planning and Analysis at the retail supply chain Alasko. According to Tereza, “If you know how to use the system, you can really do a lot. Once your data is prepped, you can create dashboards for visualizations, perform calculations, and create formulas.”
Datarails FP&A GeniusPrice:
Pricing at Datarails FP&A Genius is customized and thus varies depending on your package of the product.
3. Domo
Domo automates business insights through low-code and pre-code apps. It also uses intuitive dashboards to conduct business intelligence and analytics. It can even integrate real-time data. Through Domo’s single dashboard, any finance professional can get real-time data from Excel, Salesforce, Workday, and over a thousand other apps and finance tools.
Domo Review:
Domo is one of the acclaimed AI tools for finance. In fact, in one review on the Domo website, James Kober, the Senior Director of Ad Product and Technology at Newsday, states, “We have the executive team looking at it, I think, because ease of use, convenience, getting the data in real-time. We have an audience team that’s done some incredible analytical work over the last five or six years. They want to get their KPIs in Domo so that we have audience, advertising, and the content side, plus the executive team using it, so my goal is to just continue that and to get more widespread use across the organization.”
Domo Price:
There is a version of Domo that you can try out for free. The standard version of Domo costs $300 a month.
For the pricing of the popular Enterprise version of Domo or the Business Critical version of Domo, you must talk to the Domo sales team. Pricing varies depending on data volume, users, and any additional layers of security that you may need.
4. Stampli
Stampli is considered one of the key forms of AI for finance for several reasons. One, Stampli streamlines accounts payable processes. One key feature of Stampli is that it extracts and organizes data from digital invoices.
The Stampli AI tools for finance also allow users to communicate directly on invoices. This improves a company’s collaboration and transparency. Stampli even provides audits in real time. Stampli’s AI-powered insights can also help a finance professional optimize his or her invoice management.
Stampli Review:
Numerous companies benefit from using Stampli. Some positive company reviews on the Stampli website that demonstrate this are below:
One positive Stampli review comes from Purple, an innovative company that designs and manufactures various comfort products such as mattresses, pillows, and cushions. According to Purple, after implementing the Stampli AP automation platform, the company was able to reduce invoice backlog by 50% within three months, eliminate duplicate invoice payments, and make invoice approval time 63% faster. The company was also able to properly document 100% of invoices and return valuable time to the overworked AP team.
Stampli Price:
Stampli doesn’t provide pricing on its website, but you can request a quote.
5. Vena Insights
Another form of AI for finance is Vena Insights. Vena Insights helps finance teams use data to make informed decisions when it comes to budgeting, forecasting, workforce planning, incentive compensation management, tax provisioning, and more. Key features of Vena Insights include easy-to-use dashboards, predictive analytics and anomaly detection, and data analysis expressions.
Vena Insights Review:
According to Idaho-based pet health and wellness company PetIQ, close consolidation only became easy after using Vena Insights. On the Vena Insights website, Pat Jones, Senior Vice President and Corporate Controller of PetIQ, left a positive review stating, “The most telling thing is the ability to do everything with kind of the same staffing. We don’t have a closing consolidation team today. It’s in Vena.”
Vena Insights Price:
Vena Insights offers different professional and complete pricing plans. They also offer special pricing plans for nonprofit organizations. You must receive an individualized quote to determine your exact plan and pricing. It’s important to note though, that there are additional fees on top of the quoted price that you will receive.
6. Planful Predict
Planful Predict is an FP&A tool that combines data integration with AI and machine learning to help make accurate and fast financial decisions. Planful Predict is supposed to help people make better decisions regarding their businesses.
Planful Predict Review:
According to Chosen Foods COO and CFO Jim Mancuso, “What used to take me days or weeks, we can now do in a matter of hours thanks to Planful.”
Planful Predict Price:
There’s no designated price stated for Planful Predict on the Planful website. Individuals who want to use Planful Predict must receive a customized AI tool quote from the company.
7. Macroaxis
An additional form of AI for finance is Macroaxis. Macroaxis is a Wealth Optimization Platform that helps any finance professional discover new investment opportunities in different markets and asset classes.
Macroaxis Review:
According to one review, Tom H. left about Macroaxis on Capterra.com, “Macroaxis made it possible for me to use the tools the big money managers on Wall Street use.” Furthermore, with Macroaxis, Tom states, “comprehensive analyses I can run at any time, all day long.”
Macroaxis Price:
According to Capterra.com, the price of the AI tool Macroaxis costs a flat rate of $39.40 per month.
8. Trullion
Trullion connects structured and unstructured data together. Doing this minimizes cost inefficiencies, keeps compliance up-to-date, and saves finance and accounting professionals’ time.
One key feature of Trullion is an audit function. This function compares financial documents and transactions to supporting documents anywhere, anytime.
Another key feature of Trullion is the ability to extract data from lease contracts of any format and quickly and easily make them into audit reports. In addition, a Trullion key feature is revenue collection and reporting. Trullion can upgrade revenue collection and reporting by collecting and managing a person’s customer relationship management, billing, and contract data while simultaneously automating workflow and handling revenue recognition.
Trullion Review:
According to Audit Partner and Tech Pillar team member, Tricia Katebini, at accounting services firm GRF CPAs & Advisors, with the use of the Trullion financial AI tool, the workflow time at GRF CPAs and Advisors, “was reduced by 40%, and I anticipate 50-90% savings in the near future.”
Such a reduction in workflow time was because the Trullion AI for finance collected and organized financial data in a way that helped the company create and sustain a competitive edge, centralize workflow and communication, and optimize internal processes.
Trullion Price:
According to Capterra.com, the starting price at Trullion is $3,000.00/year.
9. Nanonets Flow
AI tools for finance, such as Nanonets Flow, make completing finance tasks easier. Nanonets Flow, in particular, makes finance tasks easier because it automates complex processes by extracting and organizing important financial data and documents. The Nanonets Flow AI for finance tool also makes things easier by managing workflows and integrating existing financial systems with accounting software.
Nanonets Flow Review:
A positive review on the Nanonets website was made by ACM Services. ACM Services is a full-service environment remediation contractor in Maryland. Before using Nanonets Flow, ACM services struggled to keep up with invoices in an accurate and efficient manner.
Once ACM Services started using Nanonets Flow though, managing accounts payable invoices became much easier. In fact, according to Ryan Hess, the financial controller in charge of accounts payable at ACM, “Nanonets worked closely with me to integrate their AI system into our accounting program. They took the time to find a way to make it work, saving us a ton of time on accounts payable.”
With the use of the Nanonets AI for finance tool, the accounts payable team at ACM services saved time by being able to process their invoices for the entire week in one day. With the help of Nanonets Flow AI, ACM Services has also been able to pay its invoices early, which helped the company obtain discounts from its vendors and improve its net profit.
Nanonets Flow Price:
The price of Nanonets Flow depends on the plan you request. For example, the Nanonets Flow starter plan costs $49.00 a month. This plan is for people or teams who are just starting to use the platform for the first time.
The Nanonets Flow Pro plan costs $69.00 a month. This plan is for teams who want to automate their accounts payable process from beginning to end.
The Nanonets Flow Plus plan costs $99.00 a month. This Nanonets Flow Plus plan is for businesses that want custom workflows to automate business processes for measurable return on investment.
10. Booke.ai
Booke.ai is an AI tool that automates bookkeeping. With the use of Booke.ai, not only is accuracy improved when bookkeeping, but so is client communication, data collection and organization, and the month-end closing process.
Booke.ai Review:
According to one review of Book.ai from a customer named Michael D on the Xero apps store website, “The combination of OCR AI and client interaction in one platform is amazing! I can effortlessly ask my clients about transactions with just one click, right from where I’m working on their financial documents. It has made my workflow so much more efficient and my clients appreciate the quick and easy communication.”
Book.ai Price:
According to the Book.ai website, there are two different types of Book.ai pricing plans, the Data Entry Automation Hub plan and the Robotics AI Bookkeeper plan. The Data Entry Automation Hub plan costs $20.00 a month, and the Robotics AI Bookkeeper plan costs $50.00 a month.
Benefits of Using AI for Finance
There are many benefits to using AI for finance. Most of these benefits surround the fact that AI tools bring efficiency and personalization to the processes of finance tasks. In the long run, AI tools for finance help the businesses of finance professionals grow.
Some of the top benefits of AI for finance include the following:
Automates Tasks
Automation is the use of technology to perform tasks with little to no human assistance. Many tasks that a finance professional must do on a daily basis, such as research, data analysis, and report generation, are time-consuming. Thus, the ability that AI tools for finance have to quickly perform these tasks through automation makes the financial analysis process much more efficient.
Identifies Trends and Patterns
Another benefit of AI tools for finance is that AI tools can pick up on trends and patterns that humans often can’t. For example, artificial intelligence and machine learning can pick up on correlations between market indicators and securities that the human eye couldn’t detect. Finance professionals can then take their learnings from the trends and patterns that their AI tools for finance have picked up on and present them to their clients.
Image from CFI’s Data Science & Machine Learning Fundamentals course
Assists with Customer Support and Outreach
AI for finance in the form of chatbots, social media, various different messaging platforms, and the like are beneficial in that they help finance professionals better support clientele. For example, by leveraging AI for finance, a finance professional can answer questions from their customers 24/7. Through such AI tools for finance, a finance professional can even help his or her clients schedule financial consultation appointments and complete certain virtual transactions.
Help Finance Companies Establish Safety with Compliance in an Efficient Manner
A finance professional can use AI to act as a security system that continuously monitors any communication, activities, or transactions. Such a security system can also flag any issues or indicators of fraud. That way finance professionals can ensure compliance with any activity that goes on within their businesses.
Assists with the Efficiency of Portfolio Optimization Creation
A finance professional can use AI tools to create custom investment portfolios and recommendations according to the needs and goals of their customers. This is because AI tools for finance can quickly assess things like customer risk assessment scores and data on previous customer financial behaviors. Such data and information can help formulate investment portfolios or recommendations best suited for the customers.
Helps With the Creation and Organization of Financial Plans and Documents
Finance professionals can use AI tools in the form of financial planning software to build out financial plans and documents for their clients. For example, finance professionals can use financial planning software to go through client data on past financial behaviors to help create a customized financial plan. Finance professionals can even use AI financial software to create or upload financial documents that clients can virtually sign.
Helps Create Financial Blog Content More Quickly and Efficiently
A finance professional who wants to market himself while also providing finance education services to clients often creates blog content. AI tools for finance can be used to help create such blog content quickly and efficiently. For example, finance professionals can use ChatGPT to quickly create long-form conversational text for their blogs by simply inserting a prompt into the tool.
Improves Risk Management
AI tools for finance can improve risk management for clients by identifying areas of risk in their portfolios. A finance professional can even use AI technology to align client portfolios with risk-tolerance levels.
Image from CFI’s Introduction to Risk Management course
Assists with Forecasting and Budgeting
AI financial analysis tools can assist with forecasting and budgeting by going through client data to come up with an appropriate budget, predict modeling, and generate insights. With the help of AI financial analysis tools, finance professionals can come up with client forecasts and budgets in a much quicker and more efficient manner than before.
Challenges of Using AI Tools for Financial Analysis
While there are many benefits to using AI tools for financial analysis, there are also some challenges. Some of these challenges are outlined below.
Cybersecurity Risks
While finance professionals use AI tools to assist with safety and compliance, they must be careful to not input sensitive financial information in any financial AI tools. This is because any sensitive information placed online can lead to cybersecurity risks.
Lack of Human Connection for Customers
While AI tools for finance can answer customer queries and act as customer support, it’s still not the same as talking to a human. In fact, many people still prefer to receive financial help or answers from an actual human being. This is especially true when there’s sensitive information involved.
Bias and Discrimination
AI financial analysis tools sometimes take on the biases of their programmers. These biases can then perpetuate prejudice, racism, and discrimination. That’s why it’s important that actual human beings still monitor any tasks that AI tools are completing.
Lacks Empathy and Emotional Intelligence
AI tools for finance don’t have human emotions. As a result, when some clients can only talk to AI, they may feel unheard or not understood. That’s why it’s important for human beings to regularly look over conversations and interactions between AI and clients. It’s also important that finance professionals regularly consult with their clients in person to see how they are doing.
Over-Reliance on AI
As intelligent as AI financial analysis tools are, they aren’t human. Thus, they can’t supply the emotional intelligence and critical thinking that can only come from the human mind. That’s why it’s important that finance professionals don’t become so reliant on artificial intelligence that they no longer critically think for themselves.
The Importance of Human and AI Integration and Responsible AI Implementation
As valuable as financial AI tools are, they don’t replace the value of human beings. The abilities of financial AI tools and human beings complement one another if anything. For example, the human eye often can’t pick up on the same things that AI can.
On the other hand, AI tools for finance can’t empathize with clients or critically think about what’s best for them like humans can. That’s why it’s necessary that finance professionals use both humans and AI to make important decisions.
Incorporate AI Tools into Your Financial Processes
AI tools help financial professionals complete finance tasks more quickly and efficiently. Therefore, it’s necessary that finance professionals incorporate the use of AI tools in their financial services. Learn more about robo-advisors and other forms of AI tools for finance professionals at CFI.
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