AI Adoption in Finance: What CFOs Get Wrong (And How to Do It Right)

Episode notes

In this episode of CFO Weekly, Ashok Manthena, CFO and Chief Finance AI Officer at ChatFin, joins Megan Weis to explore what practical AI adoption inside finance teams actually looks like, where the greatest value is being unlocked, and how leaders can move from early experimentation to meaningful transformation. Ashok brings a uniquely hands-on perspective, having worked closely with CFOs across FP&A, treasury, tax, and controllership to automate manual work, improve decision-making, and drive productivity through AI. With experience spanning mid-sized to large enterprises and a background that predates the ChatGPT era of AI in finance, Ashok shares how organizational readiness, change management, and domain expertise are often more decisive than the technology itself. Currently serving as CFO and Chief Finance AI Officer at ChatFin, he helps organizations bridge the gap between AI excitement and sustainable, high-ROI implementation, challenging conventional thinking on process cleanup, build-vs-buy decisions, and the future skills that will define the finance function.