TLDR: A recent Salesforce study indicates a significant shift among Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, with 75% now believing that AI agents will not only reduce costs but also drive substantial revenue growth and fundamentally reshape organizational structures. This marks a departure from a previously conservative stance on AI adoption.
A new research report from Salesforce highlights a profound change in how Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region view Artificial Intelligence (AI). The study reveals that a striking 75% of APAC CFOs anticipate AI agents will be instrumental in driving revenue and transforming existing organizational structures, moving beyond traditional cost-cutting measures to become a crucial engine for long-term growth.
This represents a dramatic shift from 2020, when a significant 63% of APAC CFOs reported having a conservative AI strategy. Today, that number has plummeted to a mere 3%, indicating a widespread recognition among financial leaders that AI is no longer an emerging technology but a vital tool for enhancing efficiency, optimizing operations, and, critically, generating revenue. Approximately one-third (32%) of CFOs in the region have now officially adopted aggressive AI strategies, reflecting growing confidence in the technology’s ability to deliver value.
AI agents, defined as digital labor capable of performing tasks autonomously, are fundamentally altering how CFOs evaluate the return on investment (ROI) for technology. Half (50%) of APAC CFOs state that these tools have expanded their assessment of technology investments beyond traditional metrics to encompass a broader range of business outcomes, including productivity, efficiency, and risk reduction. On average, CFOs in the region are dedicating 23% of their AI budgets to these agents, with 60% considering them essential for competing in today’s economic climate.
Robin Washington, President and Chief Operating and Financial Officer at Salesforce, emphasized this strategic shift, stating, “The introduction of digital labor isn’t just a technical upgrade — it represents a decisive and strategic shift for CFOs. With AI agents, we’re not merely transforming business models; we’re fundamentally reshaping the entire scope of the CFO function. This demands a new mindset as we expand beyond financial stewards to also become architects of agentic enterprise value.”
The research further indicates that CFOs implementing AI agents expect them to increase company revenue by almost 20%. More than half (58%) believe AI agents will take on more strategic work than routine tasks, including critical functions like risk assessments (74%), financial forecasting (58%), and expense management (54%). A significant 77% of APAC CFOs believe AI agents will transform their business models.
Despite the enthusiasm, some concerns remain. Security and privacy threats (66%) and the perceived long time to ROI (56%) are still bugbears for CFOs. One survey respondent noted, “Other technology does not typically involve the ethical risks AI does. If AI goes wrong, the reputational cost affects ROI in ways regular tools never would.” Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff recently mentioned that Salesforce’s agents were performing at 93% accuracy, which, while seemingly high, still implies a potential for errors in high-volume use cases, underscoring the need for continued caution and responsible implementation.
Also Read:
- Finance Leaders Face Mounting Pressure to Integrate AI into Strategic Operations
- Salesforce Introduces Flexible Billing Models for Agentforce to Accelerate AI Adoption
Overall, 83% of APAC CFOs are increasingly using AI to make business decisions, embracing it as a strategic partner in navigating the current economic climate.
