"Schrage was talking, of course, about AI agents, those software programs created to autonomously take action on your behalf and interact with other humans or programs. The answer from our attendees was mixed: some CFOs had personal AI agents that they deploy to help manage workflow or prepare for, say, quarterly calls. Others are more focused on overseeing how agents are created and deployed through their organizations. And some were holding back to figure out the right guard rails and directives to put in place before unleashing too many of autonomous 'workers' throughout their corporations."
"Deloitte research reinforces that the CFO is actually the enabler and core driver of innovation and the one "anchoring AI initiatives to measurable business outcomes," as noted in its Tech Trends 2026 report. They have to measure the risk-to-return ratio on AI investments and figure out new ways of valuing the agentic workforce. The role of the CFO: They're sometimes cast as the Debbie Downer of the C-suite: the keeper of the coin, Dr. No, the balancer of budgets, controller of costs, and reality check on corporate ambitions."
"Schrage talked about functional agents that are deployed across a team and personal agents that act on behalf of the individual. The latter may be designed to keep an eye on the former, and the bespoke nature of such agents raises fascinating ethical and legal questions about what happens to them when the human that spawned them moves on to another organiz"
AI agents are software programs that autonomously take action and interact with humans or other programs. CFOs report mixed adoption: some use personal agents for workflow and preparation, while others focus on overseeing how agents are built and deployed. Some organizations delay broader rollout to define guardrails and directives for autonomous workers. CFOs are positioned as enablers of innovation by anchoring AI initiatives to measurable business outcomes, assessing risk-to-return, and developing new valuation approaches for an agentic workforce. Agents can be functional across teams or personal on behalf of individuals, and personal agents introduce ethical and legal questions, especially when the originating human leaves an organization.
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