The practical application of artificial intelligence in the financial and tax areas is still an exception in most Brazilian companies: only 33% claim to use AI in their daily lives and only 16% have allocated a specific budget for this in the last 12 months; 40% did not invest anything on this front. The data appears in the Panorama do Contas a Gar 2026, an unprecedented survey by Qive.
The study, carried out by Opinion Box between August and September 2025, interviewed 406 professionals from companies of different sizes and sectors. The results point to relatively slow modernization, especially in finance, tax, accounting and IT.
Compared to previous editions, recognition of the importance of technology within these departments has grown. On the other hand, technological infrastructure and automation have not yet kept up with this evolution: in the 2024 edition, for example, only 27% of respondents stated that the backoffice was seen as strategic within the company.
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In practice, the result does not bring a rupture, but reinforces a known pattern: organizations know they need to innovate, but digital transformation still happens unevenly, with little investment and a lot of distance between speech and execution.
“Strategic leaders know that finance, tax and controlling are key areas for decision-making, but they remain stuck in analog activities, fragmented data and low automation”, analyzes Isis Abbud, co-CEO and co-founder of Qive.
AI on the radar, but not on the budget
Interest in artificial intelligence is rapidly increasing among professionals in the financial and administrative areas. According to the Accounts Payable Panorama 2026, 51% of respondents plan to invest in knowledge about AI in the next 12 months, while 39% intend to improve planning and strategy, which indicates a gradual migration from the backoffice to a more analytical approach.
Despite the advance in interest, effective use is still restricted. Only a third of companies apply AI in their daily routines, and the majority remain in the testing phase. The research details that:
- 16% invested in AI solutions with a dedicated budget in the last year;
- 23% carried out tests without formal funding;
- 25% have not yet invested, but plan to do so in the next 12 months;
- 55% have no investment or plans to invest resources in technology.
Among companies that have already adopted AI, use is concentrated in productivity tasks, with the following reported gains:
- 26% point to an increase in team productivity;
- 22% report less time spent on reports;
- 22% highlight more accurate data analysis.
Even so, the general picture still shows low automation in the back office. More than 50% of professionals continue to work with spreadsheets, used alone or in combination with management software. ERPs and automated tools exist, but the routine remains centered on manual processes.
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When it comes to risks and errors, the lack of automation directly affects companies’ cash flow, according to the study. The survey shows that at least 29% of organizations process between 201 and 1,000 receipts per month, and 21% handle more than 1,000. In payments, 22% carry out 51 to 100 monthly transactions, 19% between 101 and 500 and 17% exceed 1,000.
These manual routines result in frequent failures:
- 25% had problems with due dates;
- 24% recorded double payments;
- 17% carried out incorrect operations due to information errors.
The majority confirmed an impact on revenue, with losses of up to 1% of revenue, and 22% stated that the situation had worsened compared to the previous year.
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In Qive’s assessment, the results indicate that the next step is to move from “just digital” to “truly intelligent”, connecting data, automating flows and freeing teams for analysis and decision-making activities.
