Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping corporate strategy and attracting growing attention from CFOs and treasurers seeking to cut costs, improve efficiency, and maintain competitiveness.

“However, an abundance of attention does not always mean an abundance of clear, applicable information that is relevant to your industry”, notes the newly released eBook Precision & Power: The Role of AI in the Modern Treasury by Strategic Treasurer, a leading treasury consulting firm.*

“AI is certainly a topic that matters for treasury and finance, and some cursory information on how AI can be applied is easy to find, but the right level of context for treasury to fully understand and correctly apply AI is limited.”

The eBook aims to bring clarity to the role of AI in treasury and finance by cutting through technical jargon and focusing on what matters most to practitioners. It provides a strong foundation in AI terminology, explains how machine learning (ML) models operate, and outlines the distinct qualities of generative AI and agentic AI. Readers will gain a practical understanding of core concepts and AI subtypes while learning how to assess organizational data requirements and take the first steps toward prudent AI adoption.

Beyond definitions and explanations, the resource emphasizes readiness, implementation, and risk management. With guidance supported by real-world use cases—ranging from forecasting and compliance to reconciliation and beyond—the eBook is designed to help treasury professionals apply AI in ways that safely and meaningfully support core business functions.

Real-world applications of AI in treasury

“Currently, most AI tools used in treasury are built into a larger solution from a fintech or bank, although some companies are piloting standalone AI tools for specific tasks, especially in certain subtypes like agentic AI”, according to Strategic Treasurer’s AI eBook.

One major application where AI, especially ML, can impact treasury is pattern detection and forecasting. ML can analyze vast historical datasets to identify complex trends, enabling faster and more accurate financial forecasts. Similarly, anomaly detection supports fraud prevention and quality control by flagging unusual transactions or mismatches, reducing errors and enhancing the quality of financial reporting.

AI is also streamlining compliance and legal review, scanning documents such as loan agreements for relevant financial terms and accelerating processes like loan approvals. In addition, AI tools help treasury teams identify risks, correlations, and causal factors within large datasets, improving decision-making and highlighting potential issues before they escalate.

Generative AI further enhances treasury capabilities by synthesizing structured and unstructured data into narrative insights, enabling natural language queries, cohesive reporting, and faster access to actionable intelligence. While most AI solutions are integrated into fintech or bank systems, treasury teams are increasingly exploring internal AI agents for specialized tasks.

Understanding these applications is only the first step; treasury teams must assess readiness, structure implementation, and align AI adoption with operational goals to maximize efficiency, accuracy, and strategic impact, the AI eBook underscores.

Preparing treasury for AI success

Strategic Treasurer’s AI eBook suggests that successfully applying AI in treasury requires more than adopting tools—it demands readiness, planning, and structured execution. Treasury teams must begin by understanding AI model needs, as tools rely on large, high-quality datasets to recognize patterns, predict outcomes, and detect anomalies. Assessing the quantity, type, structure, and cleanliness of available data is critical, as is ensuring it maps effectively to the AI model’s requirements.

Beyond data, readiness extends to the broader technology ecosystem, advocates the AI eBook. AI tools often need to integrate with existing treasury management systems, enterprise platforms, or custom solutions. Early collaboration with IT and vendors is essential to clarify data flows, technical dependencies, and system capacity.

Implementation is where preparation becomes reality. A realistic plan with achievable timelines and contingency measures helps avoid project overruns. Testing and backtesting AI models against historical data validates their accuracy and reliability, the AI eBook adds, while continuous review of assumptions helps prevent “black box” risks that undermine transparency and control.

Training is another cornerstone of effective implementation. Treasury staff must be equipped to interpret AI outputs, troubleshoot anomalies, and make informed decisions based on insights. Without proper training, AI’s potential can remain underutilized or misapplied.

In short, preparing for AI in treasury is about aligning data, systems, people, and processes. By focusing on readiness, integration, realism, validation, and training, organizations can reduce risks and accelerate value creation from AI investments, the AI eBook stresses.

After exploring practical AI applications and preparation strategies, the eBook highlights that realizing AI’s benefits requires treasury executives not only to understand AI but also to “actively manage its use”—precisely why it outlines leading practices to help teams handle AI with diligence and assurance. By following these practices, treasury professionals can navigate risks, optimize decision-making, and ensure AI supports core business functions effectively.

Precision & Power: The Role of AI in the Modern Treasury expands on these practices in detail, providing a clear roadmap to apply AI across forecasting, compliance, risk management, and more.

Furthermore, to complement the eBook’s insights, Strategic Treasurer will offer a live AI Initiatives Workshop in October. This three-hour session is designed to bring together technology and treasury experts to provide pragmatic, finance-specific guidance on AI adoption. Attendees will gain a grounded understanding of AI applications across treasury functions, the opportunities and challenges it presents, and practical considerations for implementation. With a focus on actionable strategies, the workshop will equip participants to plan, evaluate, and execute AI initiatives with confidence.

Downloading and reviewing the eBook, and attending the workshop, will provide treasury and finance teams with the direction needed to harness AI’s potential while ensuring every step is executed with accuracy, foresight, and reliability.

To download the Precision & Power: The Role of AI in the Modern Treasury eBook, click here

To sign up for the AI Initiatives Workshop, click here

 

 ⃰ Disclosure: Strategic Treasurer owns CTMfile.