Finance executives say many companies will drop the ball on artificial intelligence because they are not measuring the output of staff and will not be able to quantify the productivity improvements it may deliver – a necessary ingredient to determine if spending on the emerging technology is justified.

In contrast to the broad hype about the introduction of AI technology to automate processes and drive productivity, the mood at The Australian Financial Review CFO Live summit was more circumspect. This reflected challenges for finance professionals charged with ensuring artificial intelligence deployment delivers a return on investment for shareholders.