Inside the Al shift: How audit and finance are really using Al in 2025

by Diana Bonis

Al in audit and finance isn't a futuristic idea anymore – it's part of the job. That's the biggest takeaway from DataSnipper's 2025 Al report, which gathers insights from hundreds of professionals across roles and regions. What emerges is a portrait of a field in motion: learning, experimenting, adapting.

Al adoption is happening, with or without leadership

Two-thirds of audit and finance professionals already use Al tools in their day-to-day work. But here's the catch: most of them are doing it without formal support or strategy from their firm's leadership. In many ways, Al adoption is a grassroots effort led by the people closest to the work.

Where Al is actually helping

The clearest impact is on the repetitive stuff – document review, data extraction, manual cross-checking; this is exactly where Al tools in financial services shine brightest. In fact, 80% of auditors say Al is saving them time on routine tasks. And that time is being reinvested in better analysis, more thoughtful reviews, and less late-night burnout.

How people feel about it

78% say they trust Al to help them do their jobs well;
86% would be more likely to stay at a firm that takes Al seriously;
67% report better work-life balance thanks to Al;
91% expect Al use to grow significantly over the next two years.

There's also growing confidence that Al isn't here to replace people, it's here to work alongside them. 80% of professionals say they don't see Al as a threat to their job, but as a tool that helps them do more meaningful work.

C-level buy-in is coming (slowly)

Leadership is warming up. Three-quarters of executives say they plan to invest in Al this year – a sign that what started as individual experimentation is starting to shift into something more strategic. But cultural and operational barriers remain. Many firms still haven't built Al into their formal processes, and some teams are working around outdated tools and old mindsets.

A changing profession

Al is changing how people think about careers in accounting. With less busywork and more brainwork, 68% of respondents said they'd recommend the profession to someone just starting out. That's a notable shift for a field often seen as traditional and slow to evolve.

Al use is growing for audit and finance teams

Al is no longer the side project. It's shaping how work gets done, how people feel about their jobs, and how firms think about the future. There's still a gap between experimentation and full-scale adoption, but for many, the Al shift has already started.

Looking to incorporate Al into your audit and finance workflows? Talk to the DataSnipper team.