Canadian companies are leaders in using AI in finance

More than eight in 10 Canadian organizations are embedding AI throughout their finance functions, leading to better decisions and a higher return on investment than their global peers, new research from KPMG International shows.

According to KPMG’s AI in Finance survey of 2,900 organizations across 23 countries – including 100 from Canada - more than eight in 10 (82 per cent) Canadian respondents said their organizations are using or piloting AI in the finance function, compared to 71 per cent globally.

“Canadian organizations are increasingly weaving AI into the DNA of their finance functions because they want better data-enabled decision making, the ability to more accurately predict trends, and increased data accuracy and reliability,” says Chris Moore, Partner and National Leader of Finance Transformation at KPMG in Canada.

“Canadian firms are leading the way in tapping the power of AI to improve returns in their finance functions – and this is only just scratching the surface. We’re still in the early stages, and there’s considerable runway for organizations to implement AI in a way that impacts the entire enterprise in an even more meaningful way.”

Canadian organizations reported a higher rate of return on their AI investments than their global peers, with nearly seven in 10 (69 per cent) Canadian respondents saying the ROI from AI is meeting their expectations or ahead of expectations - eight percentage points higher than the global average.

“Canadian organizations are realizing the value AI can bring to their finance function, but embedding it deeper cross core operations, processes and workflows will further improve the quality of financial reporting, which ultimately enhances public trust,” Mr. Moore adds.

Accounting, financial planning, tax and treasury management are the most common functions within finance where respondents are already using AI or have pilot projects.

Canadian companies making progress with AI in tax

Compared to global peers, Canadian organizations have made considerable progress in AI for tax management, with 63 per cent piloting or using AI in tax operations, compared to 34 per cent of global organizations.

Susie Cooke, National Tax Transformation Leader at KPMG in Canada notes that while Canadian organizations are making strides, the majority (46 per cent) are still in pilot stage.

“Fewer than one in five organizations have adopted AI in the tax function, and many have yet to make the leap from experimenting to actively using AI for day-to-day tax processes. Complex tax regulations, a lack of up-to-date data, onerous legacy systems, and the reliance on human judgment for many tax-related decisions are still barriers to implementing AI in the tax function for many organizations,” Ms. Cooke says.

“Many organizations are at a standstill because they may not know where to start, or there’s resistance to taking the next step because of potential risks. But if organizations align AI to their business strategy, establish a strong data governance foundation, and educate and upskill their talent, they can actively remove the barriers to AI adoption.”

Canadian organizations have growing expectations of their external auditors when it comes to AI. In addition to leveraging the tool for auditing activities including improved data analysis, risk mitigation, anomaly identification, fraud detection, and predictive analysis, many companies also want assurance over their own use of AI.

More than half (53 per cent) of respondents said they expect their auditors to conduct a detailed review of their control environment to ensure the responsible use of AI for financial reporting. Almost half (47 per cent) want their auditors to conduct assessments of their AI governance maturity, and 41 per cent want their auditor to perform third-party attestation over their use of AI technology.

“We’ve long believed in harnessing the power of AI to enhance quality. AI’s potential to drive real-time auditing will help companies manage their risks more proactively throughout the year,” says Bryant Ramdoo, Partner and Audit Innovation Leader at KPMG in Canada.

“As companies advance their AI adoption, there is growing desire for auditors to help companies ensure that their use of AI is robust, safe and compliant with rules and regulations, yet few standards exist. To best support the growing needs of Canadian organizations and investors will require all parties in the reporting ecosystem – auditors, organizations, standard setters, regulators and educators – to work together to manage the associated risks of AI and advance the future of assurance and attestation with confidence.”

KPMG has developed an AI maturity benchmarking tool designed to help organizations assess their progress in the AI transformation journey.

About the survey

KPMG International’s AI in Finance survey covered 2,900 organizations across 23 countries. The research was conducted between April and September 2024. Of the 100 Canadian respondents, 16 per cent identified as chief financial officers; 11 per cent were chief accounting officers; and the remaining distribution of respondents was split evenly across chief audit executives, chief technology officers, chief digital officers and heads of accounting or audit. 20 per cent of respondents reported annual revenues of $20 billion or more; 22 per cent reported revenues of $5 billion up to $10 billion; 22 per cent reported revenues of $10 billion up to $25 billion; 22 per cent reported revenues of $1 billion up to $5 billlion; and 14 per cent reported revenues between $500 million up to $1 billion. 82 per cent identified as public companies.