Accounting software company Sage explores the trends shaping the finance industry in 2025 and outlines a playbook for CIOs leading technology strategies in finance enterprises.
As artificial intelligence continues to transform industries, the finance sector is seeing significant disruption. Sage CTO Aaron Harris predicted that 2025 will mark the year AI agents begin taking on certain tasks within the accounting profession, and he recommended upskilling across the sector.
CIO South Africa spoke with Jordaan Burger, managing director for Sage Africa and the Middle East, to discuss the company’s perspective on these developments and how IT leaders in finance can prepare for this new era of accounting.
Q: Earlier this year in an article released, Sage’s CTO, Aaron Harris stated that 2025 will be the tipping point where AI agents take over accounting functions, showcasing the full potential of generative AI. In your view, what specific responsibilities do you see AI agents handling first, and how will this reshape the role of finance leaders – especially in the South African context?
A: That prediction has already begun to materialise – although at a slower adoption rate in the SA market. We saw this in our small and medium-sized business demand for digital advisory services fuels IT channel growth report, which states that there is a slight lag of SMBs in SA taking up new tech. However, the industry is definitely moving beyond experimentation as AI agents are already handling many routine finance processes end-to-end, such as invoice processing, reconciliations and expense categorisation, with minimal human input.
The real shift we are seeing in finance is that AI is moving us beyond just looking backwards at the numbers. New tools give our teams insights faster and take over more of the routine execution, which frees us up to spend more time on forward-looking work. For finance leaders, this means less time chasing data and more time advising the business on growth, running scenarios and helping to guide expansion. It’s the beginning of a long-term change in how finance operates, one that positions finance leaders to be true strategic partners in shaping the future of the business.
Q: As AI becomes a “user” in accounting software, what safeguards must CIOs and CFOs prioritise to ensure security, compliance and trust in these autonomous systems?
A: Now that AI operates as an active participant in finance systems, we need to apply the same standards as we would for a senior finance professional. With strong trust and governance at the centre.
In practice, this is what it looks like:
- Using AI that is purpose-built for accounting and understands the rules, regulations and sensitivity of financial data.
- Clear governance and transparency – for example, showing how data is protected and how bias is reduced.
- Following recognised local and international compliance standards.
- Strong controls, such as role-based access, clear approvals and full audit trails.
- Ongoing monitoring so any unusual activity can be quickly identified and addressed.
We are also building a global coalition for ethical AI in finance, so that the technology we use meets the highest professional and ethical standards.
Q: As AI reshapes finance, Sage has identified “prompt engineering” as a critical skill for accountants in 2025/26. What steps should CIOs and CFOs take to build the right training programmes and frameworks that prepare finance teams for this transformation?
A: As a finance leader, I see prompt engineering as more than a technical skill, but as a critical competency moving forward. The finance teams that thrive with AI will likely be the ones who know how to guide it by framing objectives clearly, providing context and asking the right follow-up questions. This is not about coding but about sharpening the way we think and communicate with technology so that it delivers accurate, actionable insight the first time.
Q: The move from retrospective accounting cycles to continuous accounting, assurance, and insights represents a seismic shift. How should CIOs prepare their technology strategies to enable this transition?
A: That shift is already well underway. Many organisations have moved from batch-driven month-end processes to near real-time accounting and the technology strategy to support this is clear. We are always building on data flows that feed ledgers in real time, embedding AI that reconciles, posts and flags anomalies continuously, and implementing continuous controls that monitor transactions as they happen.
The goal is to replace monthly closes with continuous accounting, continuous assurance and continuous insights, enabling finance leaders to advise on strategic moves in the moment, whether that’s hiring new staff, launching a product in a new country, or mitigating cashflow volatility before it becomes a crisis.
Q: AI-infused accounting promises to free up time for high-value advisory work, such as risk management and financial forecasting. What role do you see CIOs playing in helping finance leaders leverage these new capabilities?
A: I see CIOs as essential partners in helping finance leaders make the most of these new tools. Their role is to ensure finance leaders have the tools, data and confidence to turn freed-up time into measurable business impact. This means creating a strategic finance function built on a foundation of trusted, accessible data. We’ll empower our teams with AI-driven tools for robust scenario modelling, enabling them to test strategies from market expansion to workforce investments.
By also embedding continuous risk monitoring, we can detect and address issues before they escalate. The ultimate goal is to champion AI adoption and cultivate the confidence finance teams need to leverage these insights for critical board-level decisions. We are seeing this play out in real client scenarios, from advising on the cost-benefit of adding a warehouse to helping departments assess whether they can afford to expand headcount or enter new markets. These are not future capabilities, they are in use today and will only become more sophisticated as AI agents mature.
Q: Generative AI allows interaction with financial data in natural language. How do you envision CIOs integrating this capability into enterprise finance systems to maximise adoption and business impact?
A: We are already seeing natural language interaction become a standard feature in leading finance platforms. For example, the breakthrough comes when users can simply ask, “Show me the variance in operating expenses this quarter and explain the drivers,” and receive a clear, accurate, source-linked answer instantly.
The most effective CIOs are embedding conversational copilots directly into finance systems, thoughtfully treating AI as a governed user with clear roles, permissions and audit logs. They are also starting with assistive use cases like querying, summarising and drafting before moving towards more autonomous execution with human oversight.
Being transparent about what AI can and can’t do and improving it based on feedback, is essential. As these copilots evolve, learning from real-world use cases and feedback, they will become proactive partners, not just reactive tools, surfacing insights, detecting anomalies and even initiating workflows without being asked.
AI in finance is no longer a future concept, but it is the present reality and it is accelerating. The challenge for CIOs and CFOs is to harness this capability responsibly, embedding governance, skills and trust so that AI becomes a true partner in driving growth, managing risk, and unlocking new opportunities.
This also means that private organisations need to work with governments, regulators and industry bodies to agree on shared ethical standards. Those who master this will look back on 2025 not just as the year the transformation began, but as the moment they redefined what finance could be, and they will be the ones shaping the financial landscape of the next decade.
