As budgets tighten across the board, AI remains one of the few investments CFOs are actively protecting. Rob Andrews of AAAnow, the Digital Confidence Company, explains why independent, trusted signals from AI are giving finance leaders the clarity and confidence to make faster, more effective decisions.
For CFOs, the second half of 2025 is shaping up to be a masterclass in managing contradictions. With rising interest rates, stubborn inflation and uncertainty around tax and trade, nearly four in ten finance leaders have hit pause on capital expenditure.
Yet while cost reductions sweep through most departments, there is one line item that remains firmly protected: artificial intelligence.
As reported by the CFO, Gartner’s July 2025 CFO survey points to 67% of finance leaders actively making cuts while AI and automation investments are holding firm. For many CFOs, that is not just a tactical choice. It is a strategic necessity, not least because in a time where business conditions change by the week, AI provides what many executives are still missing: independent, trusted signals that allow them to act with clarity and confidence.
Organisations are drowning in digital reports, dashboards and diagnostics. But despite all that information, there is a persistent gap between what is happening on the ground and what reaches the boardroom.
Digital teams, agencies and IT departments filter updates through layers of technical complexity, making it difficult for CFOs and other executives to get a clear, business-level view of risk and value. The result is cautious, reactive decision-making, not because CFOs lack the will to invest, but because they lack the clarity to do so confidently.
This is where AI is proving its worth.
Rather than adding more data, AI tools that monitor digital fundamentals such as accessibility, privacy, content integrity and user experience can now provide leadership teams with structured signals. These signals do not replace operational diagnostics, but they elevate what matters, presenting CFOs with a simple view of where value is being lost or risk is rising.
It is the equivalent of a car’s engine warning light. You do not need to interpret the diagnostics yourself. What matters is knowing when there is a problem and having a trusted signal that allows you to act.
For CFOs managing multi-site digital estates, AI tools that deliver this type of independent signal are not a nice-to-have. They are fast becoming essential. Because without that clarity, budget conversations remain mired in complexity and assumption.
One of the reasons AI investments remain protected is because they give CFOs a way to link operational activity to business outcomes. With AI-driven signals, finance leaders can track how digital decisions reduce risk, protect revenue and improve long-term value.
It is not about line-by-line reporting or adding new dashboards. It is about providing CFOs with a summary they can own, a clear view of digital performance that fits inside a board pack and enables strategic conversations at the right level.
As Rob Andrews, SVP of Strategic Partnerships at AAAnow, explains: “Executives do not want to know every fix. They want clarity. What will this cost? What will it achieve? How do we measure it? That is what AI-driven signals provide.”
In a cost-constrained environment, the easiest thing would be to hit pause across the board. But CFOs are not doing that with AI because it represents something bigger: the ability to regain control over complex, fast-moving parts of the business.
For those managing large digital footprints, AI’s ability to provide independent confirmation of where performance is slipping, without adding resource overhead or technical noise, is a clear driver for continued investment.
Because when CFOs are asked to justify every line item, the tools that remove guesswork and link actions to outcomes are not just useful. They are indispensable.