Dive Brief:
- The rising use of artificial intelligence tools in investor research is leading to heavier demands on CFOs and their teams, according to Gartner researchers.
- Of 146 CFOs surveyed by Gartner from October through December, 43% said they were spending more time preparing for earnings calls, the Stamford, Connecticut-based research and advisory firm said last week in a news release summarizing a December client report. Another 34% of respondents cited an increase in unexpected investor questions during earnings calls, while 38% reported more media and social media engagements.
- “It’s coming from an investor base that is more informed thanks to AI,” Dymah Paige, a senior research analyst in Gartner’s finance practice, said in an interview. “CFOs will need to leverage AI tools themselves to react in a more targeted and timely manner.”
Dive Insight:
Rapid advancements in AI, combined with other factors like persistent economic volatility, are causing the CFO’s role to expand at an unprecedented rate, according to Bruno J. Navarro, a finance thought leader at Pleasanton, California-based software giant Workday.
“The CFO of 2026 (and beyond) won’t just manage finances — they’ll be a strategic navigator, co-piloting the business alongside the CEO,” Navarro said in an Oct. 17 blog post.
This shift, he added, will require a “fundamental change” in how CFOs operate, pushing them to focus on priorities like leveraging AI and data to deliver a holistic view of organizational performance.
“This leads to the rise of financial storytelling, a critical skill for the modern finance leader,” he said. “It’s the ability to translate complex data and financial models into a clear, compelling narrative that informs and influences the C-suite, the board and investors.”
Today, CFOs are asked to deliver more, with unpredictable markets only heightening the pressure, according to Gartner’s report, which was shared with CFO Dive. “The rising volume of investor interactions is only one symptom of this,” it said.
A 2024 survey by investor relations advisory firm Corbin Advisors found that 58% of global institutional investors and securities analysts were using or evaluating AI tools in their investment and research processes.
This is leading to heightened expectations for a “responsive and informed management team,” Gartner said in its report.
Some of the world’s biggest companies are already using AI tools in their investor relations activities, according to Paige.
In one case study, highlighted by Gartner in a separate, Jan. 26 report shared with CFO Dive, Dell created a suite of AI capabilities to improve earnings call preparation, including a “sentiment analysis tool” for evaluating the alignment of messaging and business performance.
Dell didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
