Spreadsheets have been the workhorse of finance for decades. But let’s be honest: they’re reaching their limits. We’ve all felt it. Too many tabs, too many formulas, too many late nights praying nothing breaks right before close. Add in ASC 606 complexity or pressure from an audit or due diligence, and the cracks are impossible to ignore.
That’s why I opened our recent webinar with a bold prediction:
Prediction: Within the next two years, AI agents will replace spreadsheets as the primary tool in the office of the CFO.
Not because Excel will disappear – it won’t. But because AI-powered automation is already proving to be faster, more accurate, and more auditable than manual spreadsheet work.
Here’s a recap of what we covered in the workshop, with examples you can take back to your own Finance team.
Traditional accounting processes are breaking under modern business demands:
The result? Slow closes, rising error risk, and stressed Accounting teams.
Automation is no longer optional – it’s a necessity.
Most people’s first interaction with AI is through a chatbot like ChatGPT or Gemini. In the workshop, I demonstrated how you can upload a list of Stripe invoices and ask the AI to generate a revenue recognition schedule.
It works – but with a catch. Chatbots operate on a type of logic that’s designed to not solve a problem the same way twice. For creative tasks, that’s a strength. For accounting calculations that need to be executed precisely and consistently, it’s a liability. If you run the same prompt tomorrow, you might get slightly different outputs – something no auditor will accept.
Lesson learned: chatbots are great for prototyping and learning, but not for repeatable financial processes.
Here’s where things get more interesting. An AI agent is like a chatbot with “hands and feet.” Instead of just talking back, it can:
In the workshop, I used an agent to actually build a working revenue recognition app. Instead of manually generating individual journal entries or recognition schedules, I asked the agent to create a reusable tool that processes all my invoices consistently, and in an instant.
That shift is powerful: using AI once to build a precision accounting solution you can reuse. It’s a low-cost way to boost productivity, especially for lean teams experimenting with automation.
But generic agents have limits:
Good for experiments. Not enough for enterprise.
This is where the leap happens. Generic AI agents are flexible but fragile. Enterprise Finance teams need agents that are purpose-built for high stakes revenue work and the scrutiny around it.
That’s why we built Luca, Leapfin’s specialized AI agent. Luca combines the creativity of a chatbot with the rigor of a precision accounting logic engine. Here’s what makes it different:
In practice, this means Accounting teams can automate months of manual work in minutes, without sacrificing trust in the numbers.
Let’s zoom out. 90% of an accountant’s time today is spent on manual, repetitive tasks – month-end close, reconciliations, audit prep. These tasks are essential, but they don’t add strategic value.
With specialized AI agents, we’re heading toward a world where:
I like to call this the rise of the digital workforce for finance. Not hype – this is already in production with customers like GoodRx, Reddit, Eight Sleep, and many more. The feedback? Equal parts awe and relief.
Here’s my advice if you’re considering how AI fits into your finance org:
If this resonates with you, I’d love to help you map out your AI strategy. Right now, Leapfin is offering:
👉 Book here: leapfin.com/get-a-demo
The tools we use shape the work we do. Just as spreadsheets once redefined accounting, AI agents are about to do the same. The question is no longer if – it’s how quickly you’ll adapt.