economy

May 4, 2026

A veteran CFO's advice for managing budgets in the AI era

"A CFO has to be willing to try new things — and let's remember, CFOs are not always risk takers," said Amy Butte.

A veteran CFO's advice for managing budgets in the AI era

TL;DR

  • CFOs face unique challenges in measuring AI's impact amidst rapid transformation.
  • Success definition should align with investor expectations for growth (e.g., revenue, pretax earnings).
  • Identify and measure key performance indicators (KPIs) that contribute to overarching goals.
  • CFOs should encourage innovation and risk-taking rather than hindering it.
  • Measurements must be accurate and relevant to true business objectives, avoiding superficial metrics like 'tokenmaxxing'.