Avalara Survey: AI Deployment Outpaces Governance in Finance

Finance leaders are under pressure to deploy AI agents quickly, but governance is struggling to keep up. Nine out of ten finance leaders feel pressure to prove the return on investment for AI. However, only 7% say their organizations prioritize governance over deployment speed. What's interesting is that nearly three-quarters of these leaders report the pressure is primarily on deployment speed. Thirty percent have not updated their internal controls in the last year to reflect AI agents taking actions. Plus, 44% are only somewhat confident they could explain an AI agent's actions to an auditor. The research also shows that nearly one in four leaders believe accountability for a significant AI agent error would be unclear or belong to no one. This rapid deployment without adequate controls creates new risks. Organizations need to manage AI agents carefully, especially in areas like tax and compliance. This matters because a lack of governance could lead to significant problems and unclear accountability.