South African businesses are not short of AI ambitions, but many are struggling to move from conversation to execution, or from proof of concept to production. While CIOs are increasingly understanding the potential of artificial intelligence, CFOs are often left unconvinced, unsure whether proposed solutions will deliver measurable value or simply add another line item to an already pressured budget.
According to Helm CEO David Patel, this disconnect between technology and finance leadership is one of the biggest barriers to meaningful AI adoption in South Africa. “We see a consistent pattern where CIOs are excited about what AI can do, while CFOs are cautious about what it will actually deliver,” says Patel. “when they The two viewpoints don't match“AI initiatives have stalled, not because the technology is not viable, but because trust has not been established.”
The challenge is heightened locally by what Patel describes as a “perfect storm” of circumstances:
– Low data maturity in many organizations
– Legacy systems that are difficult to integrate or interrogate
– A crowded marketplace where predictive analytics and automation are often marketed as “AI,” leading to low trust
– Rather obviously, but quite importantly, the price
“There is a lot of noise in the market,” explains Patel. “CFOs are being sold ‘AI’ that is often little more than rebranded predictive analytics. This makes them cautious, and rightly so.”
The result is a widening gap: CIOs struggle to secure buy-in, while CFOs struggle to separate credible AI investments from hype.
For CIOs, Patel says the challenge is less about technology and more about translation. “CFOs don't approve algorithms, they approve outcomes,” he says. “If the price has not been made commercially, the negotiations are already over.”
AI proposals should be clearly linked to the following outcomes:
– Cost reduction or avoidance
– Revenue protection or regeneration
– Risk Mitigation or Compliance Improvement
– Increase productivity in high-value tasks
“If the CIO can’t tell which decisions are improved or which costs disappear because of AI, the CFO can’t justify the expense,” says Patel.
Overselling AI readiness is one of the fastest ways to lose credibility. “AI doesn’t fix bad data or broken processes, it enhances them,” says Patel. “The CIO needs to be up front about the basic tasks required, even when it's inconvenient.”
Rather than setting out AI as one big, transformational investment, Patel recommends a phased delivery.
“Start small, prove value, then scale. CFOs are more willing to finance something they can test and measure than something they expect to believe in.”
Patel is equally clear that CFOs don't need to be technologists, but they do need to ask sharp questions.
“One of the most important questions a CFO can ask is whether the solution actually learns or adapts over time,” says Patel. “If it doesn't, it may still be valuable but it should not be sold as AI.”
AI should enable better or faster decision making, not just pretty dashboards. “If the output doesn’t change behavior or decision making, the ROI will always be questionable,” says Patel.
“Data quality is one of the biggest hidden risks in AI,” he says. “CFOs should ask where the data comes from, how reliable it is, and who owns its quality.”
Clear checkpoints matter. “AI should not be an open experiment,” Patel explains. “There needs to be milestones defined where the business can say: this is working, this needs adjustment, or it stops.”
In the short term, alignment between the CIO and CFO enables organizations to filter out market noise and avoid hype-driven investments. Instead of pursuing ambitious, poorly defined initiatives, businesses can focus on targeted, low-risk use cases that demonstrate measurable value early on. This builds internal confidence, establishes credibility in leadership teams, and creates a more disciplined approach to AI investments.
In the long term, that same alignment lays the groundwork for stronger data foundations and more confident digital investment decisions. As trust develops between technology and finance functions, AI can move beyond isolated experiments and become embedded as a core business capability supporting smart decision making, operational flexibility and sustained competitive advantage.
“When CIOs and CFOs come together, the debate stops being about AI technology and becomes a discussion about competitive advantage,” says Patel.
AI adoption doesn't fail because of a lack of tools, it fails because of a lack of shared understanding. “When the CFO has the right questions and the CIO provides the right context, trust is built,” Patel concludes. “Only then do AI solutions get approved, implemented and paid for with confidence.”
© 2026. Bizcommunity.com SyndiGate Media Inc. Provided by (Syndigate.info).