Deloitte polled 66 UK finance chiefs. 52% expect AI to cut their headcount.
Deloitte's latest UK survey of chief financial officers, taken between 17 September and 1 October, found that 52% expect AI to reduce their company's headcount over the coming year, Bloomberg reported on 13 October.
Only a third believe AI will significantly lift their profit margins over the same year. 67% said they have so far achieved about a quarter of the changes they ultimately expect from AI. Cost reduction is now a priority for 68% of the finance chiefs, up from 53% in the previous survey.
Put those figures side by side: more finance chiefs expect fewer staff next year than expect a significantly better margin. The survey does not say what the savings from smaller teams are spent on, or whether the work leaves the payroll or moves to contractors and vendors.
66 people is a small sample, and these are expectations, not decisions. But they are the people who sign the budgets.
In your finance team, is AI already being counted as a headcount saving in next year's plan?
Image: AI-generated.
Sources
Our file on Deloitte
- 13 Oct
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