The AI Adoption Gap in Finance: Barriers and Solutions
AI is transforming industries worldwide, yet finance and accounting remain surprisingly hesitant adopters. New research from Haaga-Helia reveals the real barriers holding the sector back — and the human-centred solutions that could unlock AI’s potential.
Text by Heli Kortesalmi, Lili Aunimo & Mariitta Rauhala, 25.11.2025 | Photo by Adobe Stock Photos
Artificial intelligence (AI) has already transformed many industries, but its adoption in finance and accounting is progressing more slowly than in other sectors. Why is this? Research by Haaga-Helia experts reveals which barriers are slowing the change and what factors are accelerating AI adoption. The study also examined whether the finance sector is embracing human-centred AI in line with Organisation 5.0 thinking.
AI and Finance – Why Is Change So Slow?
Although finance processes are digital and often suitable for automation, AI adoption lags behind sectors such as marketing and customer service (Kruse et al., 2019; Eurostat 2025). Our research found that the biggest barrier is a lack of expertise: organisations lack sufficient technical and business understanding to leverage AI effectively.
The second most significant challenge, according to our respondents, relates to compatibility. Many companies are struggling with legacy systems that are difficult to integrate with new AI solutions. The third concern was data quality and security – understandable when dealing with financial and personal information.
Change management is the fourth key barrier: technology can be purchased, but if the organisational culture doesn’t support learning and experimentation, investments remain underutilised.
Surprisingly, ethical questions and algorithmic transparency and bias – which feature heavily in academic discussions (Lehner et al., 2022) – were not seen as significant barriers by respondents. Practical challenges are taking precedence – at least for now.
Solutions Lie in People, Not Just Technology
When we asked how these barriers could be overcome, two factors stood out above all others: continuous training and a learning-oriented organisational culture. This aligns with previous research emphasising that technology adoption only succeeds when people understand its significance and know how to apply it (Jackson & Allen, 2024).
The third most important factor was improved usability. AI needs to be user-friendly and integrated seamlessly into everyday processes. This finding is significant, as user experience hasn’t previously been emphasised in finance sector research. In practice, this means that AI solution design must focus – in line with Organisation 5.0 principles – on intuitive interfaces and seamless integration, rather than solely examining the cost savings and efficiency gains that accounting research has predominantly focused on (Xu et al., 2019; Jackson & Allen, 2024).
Usability and ease of use, along with perceived benefits of new technology, have traditionally been significant drivers of new technology adoption (Davis, 1989). The importance of ease of use in implementing finance processes also emerged clearly in our earlier interview research (Kortesalmi et al., 2024).
We also compared responses across different groups. When comparing younger and older respondents, younger employees showed a bolder attitude towards AI and were keener to try new solutions, whilst more experienced staff valued smooth usability. This difference is worth noting in development work.
Organisation 5.0 – Technology as a Human Partner
The European Union has introduced the concept of the fifth industrial revolution, or Industry 5.0, as part of its research and innovation policy. In the first industrial revolution (Industry 1.0) from the late 18th century onwards, humanity began harnessing technology and steam engines.
The second industrial revolution (Industry 2.0) saw a shift from mechanical power to electrical energy. The third industrial revolution (Industry 3.0) integrated automation into production through electronics and information technology (Mourtzis et al., 2022). New technologies such as cloud services and AI laid the foundation for the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0).
Industry 5.0 and the 5.0 Organisations operating within it now aim to achieve societal goals beyond economic growth by making production sustainable and prioritising worker wellbeing. It represents collaboration between humans and technology, emphasising human-centredness, sustainability, and resilience (European Union, 2022). Workers are seen as an investment, not a cost. Technology doesn’t replace humans but supports their expertise and wellbeing.
Research Background
The research was conducted in spring 2025 with responses from 103 finance and accounting professionals from various organisations in Finland. 71% of respondents were women and 66% had over 10 years’ experience in the field. Organisations ranged from micro-enterprises to large corporations.
The survey examined 13 barriers and 12 solutions related to AI adoption. The results demonstrate that the sector is moving towards a human-centred, sustainable, and collaborative Organisation 5.0 model.
The complete research can be read in our article Kortesalmi, Aunimo, Rauhala & Schögl 2025 “Transition to Organisation 5.0 – Barriers and Enablers of AI Adoption in Accounting and Finance.”
Where Can My Company Start?
Digitalisation in finance is no longer the future – it’s happening now. AI can free up time from routine tasks and improve decision-making quality, but only if organisations invest as much in people as in technology. Organisation 5.0 isn’t hype, it’s a necessity: it combines technological power with human creativity in a sustainable way.
SMEs, join the Finnish AI Region project! FAIR offers companies free services and expertise in AI, augmented reality, high-performance computing, and cybersecurity. The project aims to accelerate and expand AI adoption, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises. FAIR is funded by the European Commission, Business Finland, and the City of Helsinki Innovation Fund.
The research was presented at the Pro-Ve conference in Porto, Portugal in October 2025 and published in “Hybrid Human-AI Collaborative Networks: 26th IFIP WG 5.5 SOCOLNET Working Conference on Virtual Enterprises, PRO-VE 2025, Porto, Portugal, October 27-29, 2025, Proceedings, Part II.”
We thank the Finnish Work Environment Fund for financial support for the conference trip.
References
- Davis, F. D. (1989), “Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology”, MIS Quarterly, 13 (3): 319–340, doi:10.2307/249008
- European Union (2022). Industry 5.0, a transformative vision for Europe. Url: Industry 5.0 – Research and innovation – European Commission
- Eurostat (2025): Use of artificial intelligence in enterprises, Url: Use of artificial intelligence in enterprises – Statistics Explained – Eurostat
- Jackson, D., Allen, C. (2024): Technology adoption in accounting: the role of staff perceptions and organisational context. Journal of Accounting and Organizational Change. 20, 205–227. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAOC-01-2023-0007.
- Kortesalmi, H., Aunimo, L., & Kärkinen, E. L. (2024, September). Collaborative Ecosystems for Increasing Automation in Accounting Processes in Small Firms. In Working Conference on Virtual Enterprises (pp. 158-172). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
- Kruse, L., Wunderlich, N., Beck, R. (2019): Artificial Intelligence for the Financial Services Industry: What Challenges Organizations to Succeed.
- Lehner, O.M., Ittonen, K., Silvola, H., Ström, E., Wührleitner, A. (2022): Artificial intelligence based decision-making in accounting and auditing: ethical challenges and normative thinking. Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal. 35, 109–135.
- Mourtzis, D., Angelopoulos, J., Panopoulos, N. (2022): A Literature Review of the Challenges and Opportunities of the Transition from Industry 4.0 to Society 5.0.
- Xu, X., Lu, Y., Vogel-Heuser, B., Wang, L. (2021): Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0—Inception, conception and perception. J Manuf Syst. 61, 530–535.
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