CFOs boost tech spending despite economic angst: Grant Thornton

Dive Brief:

CFOs are ramping up technology investments even as their confidence in the U.S. economy falls to a record low, Grant Thornton found in a survey released Wednesday.
Just 37% of finance leaders said they are optimistic about the outlook for the U.S. economy over the next six months, down to a 20-quarter low, according to Grant Thornton's Q2 2026 CFO Survey. Yet 67% said they expect to increase spending on information technology and digital transformation initiatives over the next year as artificial intelligence becomes a greater business priority.
“The leaders pulling ahead are using AI to create new revenue opportunities and build innovative ways to grow,” Mike Desmond, audit growth leader at Grant Thornton, said in a press release.

Dive Insight:

The survey of nearly 240 finance leaders found pessimists now outnumber optimists for the first time in several quarters, as concerns about inflation, tariffs and geopolitical instability weigh on business sentiment.

Sixty-seven percent of respondents expected inflation to increase over the next 12 months, while a similar share — about 66% — reported that tariffs, energy disruptions and supply chain challenges will have at least a moderate impact on their business.

Despite those concerns, CFOs remain relatively upbeat about their own companies' prospects. Nearly seven in 10 respondents anticipated a profit increase over the next 12 months, only slightly below the previous quarter.

Technology spending has emerged as a growing priority. Forty-eight percent of finance leaders identified technology upgrades as a top organizational priority, up 13 percentage points from the first quarter.

The vast majority (97%) of organizations are now piloting, scaling or fully integrating AI into operations, although many are struggling to keep governance, risk management and internal controls aligned with the pace of adoption, Grant Thorton found.

“These investments require disciplined oversight,” Mike Hennessey, a partner in Grant Thornton’s finance modernization group, said in the Wednesday release. “CFOs need clear processes to confirm return on investment and enforce accountability.”