Are you embracing AI, or do you fall into the camp pushing back against it? Or are you somewhere in the middle, just not paying much attention?
Either way, here is the truth: we are living through one of the biggest shifts in modern history. It feels a lot like what the internet did a generation ago, and what the computer did before that. The difference now is speed. Change is moving so fast that it can feel scary. A lot of us picture movies like Terminator or I, Robot and wonder where this is all headed.
That fear is not crazy. Anthropic recently built advanced software that can find weak spots in software systems. In the right hands, it helps big companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon protect their platforms. But think about how much of your data sits on those platforms. If that kind of power ended up in the wrong hands, the damage could reach all of us. So the question becomes: what do we actually do about it?
I have chosen to embrace AI as much as I can.
Do I think it can be used for harm? Yes. Will some jobs be lost? Probably. Do we need smarter rules around data centers and how AI gets used? Absolutely. But I also believe that ignoring AI is like refusing to get on the internet twenty years ago. You will get left behind, especially at work. You can always choose to live off the grid. But if you want to stay in the game like most of us do, you have to embrace this and keep learning.
So today I want to walk through three things: how I use AI right now, how I am getting my team on board, and where I want to take this next.
I have used ChatGPT for a couple of years, but mostly as a research helper and a way to sharpen my emails. I was not really using it to save time.
Then I hit a perfect storm. One of my key team members had to step away for a month while her son went through a stem cell transplant. On top of that, a CFO I planned to hire did not work out. Suddenly a lot of work landed back on my plate.
Around that time I kept hearing great things about Claude, so I got the Team version and connected it to Excel and Word. The time savings have been real.
One Friday afternoon, a client told me he needed two companies' actual and forecast financials combined through 2027. All I had was a PDF of the new company in a totally different format, and no 2027 forecast at all. There was no one to hand it off to, and he needed it that same day for a Saturday board meeting. I figured it would take at least three hours. With Claude, I finished in about one, and I was still learning as I went, so it could have been even faster.
Here are a few other things I have done with it:
Now that I have team licenses, my next goal is getting my team using it too. I have sent invites and I bring up time saving ideas in every weekly meeting.
But I can feel the resistance. I heard the word "scary" more than once and some don’t login. One of my team members in India did embrace it and said it helped him write commentary and update CFO reports faster. Still, I know I need better training videos to make it stick.
The bigger challenge is fear of being replaced. If my assistant or my team thinks AI will take their jobs, why would they bother learning it?
Here is how I answer that. The busy work we do, updating reports, models, and commentary, is not what clients value. They see it as a necessary evil. What they actually want is more cash flow, more financial freedom, more peace, and a growing business that hits their goals. AI helps me get out of the weeds so I can deliver more of what they really care about.
And when more businesses succeed because they have better information, that creates more jobs and more opportunity for everyone. That is the bigger picture I keep sharing. The more value my team brings, the more opportunity they have, with me or anywhere else. I will keep repeating that message, add training to Asana, and track time so I can see the savings show up.
The more I use these tools, the more excited I get about building an AI Agent Financial Analyst.
Imagine automating the low level tasks, improving accuracy, and not having to work nights and weekends when a last minute change hits or a team member is out. I do not mind a 40 to 45 hour week, but I would not mind less either. It could also free up time to serve a few more clients while I focus on the high value work that actually drives success.
This hit home recently. I had surgery, and recovery slowed me down and pulled me into physical therapy. What if an AI financial analyst could keep things running for my clients when life gets in the way? That is why I am carving out time to learn Claude Cowork and talk with experts about building a private, secure AI agent.
Think about it this way. A high value employee can raise the value of a business, but they can also leave at any time. An AI agent does not.
I know some of you worry about entry level jobs, fewer opportunities, or even the economy crashing. It is hard, because none of us fully understands where this goes.
But here is what I do know. Every major shift, from the Industrial Revolution to the computer, the internet, and the smartphone, has ended up creating more jobs and more opportunity than it destroyed. Some people get left behind. So why not get ahead of the curve? That is exactly what I plan to do. I will keep helping my team use AI to save time and build a business that delivers more value to clients every year.
I will leave you with a quote I asked Claude to find after I uploaded a speech I gave on this topic:
"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." — John F. Kennedy
If reading this stirred up questions about how AI could free you and your team to focus on growth, let's talk. At Bender CFO Services, we help growing businesses gain clarity and command of their financials so they can make strategic decisions with confidence. Reach out and let's figure out where you can get ahead of the curve.