At the recent Institute of Financial Operations and Leadership (IFOL) Digital Summit, Vic.ai joined a panel of forward-thinking finance leaders to explore how AI-powered automation is transforming finance operations — and what that means for the future of AP.

Katie Roy, Product Lead, and Mark Fisher, SVP of Marketing, joined together to present a workshop session on “AP Reimagined: What Agentic AI Means for the Modern Finance Team.” 

From manual to intelligent: A strategic imperative

One theme echoed throughout the session: manual AP processes are no longer viable. With rising invoice volumes, leaner finance teams, and evolving compliance demands, organizations need more than incremental improvements — they need intelligent automation that can deliver end-to-end efficiency and visibility.

Platforms like Vic.ai enable AP teams to move beyond repetitive, manual tasks by automating invoice data entry, approvals, exception handling, and insights generation. The result isn’t just faster processing; it’s a strategic upgrade in how finance teams operate and contribute to broader business goals.

“Manual invoice processing is slow, expensive, error-prone, frankly, soul-crushing for some people who are doing it every day,” Fisher says.

Real-time polling: A pulse on AP challenges and readiness

Two live polls conducted during the session revealed powerful insights into the current state and future direction of AP and finance transformation.

Poll 1: “What’s your biggest challenge in finance transformation today?”

• Manual processes & inefficiencies – 44%
  
• Access to real-time insights – 22%
  
• Risk & fraud concerns – 17%
  
• Lack of skilled resources – 11%
  
• Other – 6%

Despite years of automation investments, the message is clear: most finance teams remain constrained by fragmented workflows and outdated tooling.

“OCR, RPA, even ERP workflows, they still leave humans stuck cleaning up errors and chasing approvals,” Fisher says.

Poll 2: “Where are you on your AI journey in finance?”

• We’re curious but haven’t started – 36%
  
• We’ve tested or piloted AI tools – 24%
  
• We’re already using AI in production – 24%
  
• We’re not exploring AI right now – 12%
  
• We’re actively evaluating options – 4%

These results show growing momentum around adoption. While some are still early in the journey, a significant number have already implemented AI at scale, suggesting a broader market readiness for intelligent systems.

Key takeaways from the session

1. Agentic AI is a game changer for AP

Unlike traditional automation, agentic AI doesn’t just assist — it takes action. It processes invoices, routes approvals, manages inboxes, and flags anomalies, all without manual input. This shift from copilots to autonomous agents marks a fundamental evolution.

“Agents are your digital teammates, almost like augmenting your existing workforce. They don’t just help you be more efficient, but they can do the work that takes a long time or is repetitive, like checking the inbox or monthly reporting, so you can focus on the strategic objectives,” Roy says.

2. Oversight and strategy replace execution

As AI takes on more of the manual workload, the role of AP professionals becomes increasingly strategic. Teams gain more time for vendor relationship management, compliance, and cash flow optimization.

3. Inbox and contract management are ripe for automation

Email-based vendor correspondence and complex contract compliance were highlighted as major inefficiencies. AI agents can now autonomously handle these tasks, surfacing pay discounts, flagging mismatches, and generating replies.

4. AI fluency will define the AP team of the future

Forward-looking teams will not just use AI; they’ll manage, configure, and optimize it. Fluency with AI tools and data insights will be as essential as Excel proficiency was a decade ago.

From tactical to transformational: The path forward

The IFOL session underscored a new reality for AP leaders: the tools to reimagine your finance operations are already here, and the cost of waiting is growing. Whether your organization is just getting started or already scaling AI solutions, now is the time to position AP as a driver of financial agility and insight. 

Watch the full session recording here.

Ready to reimagine your AP process?

Join the growing number of organizations using Vic.ai to:

• Automate invoice processing and approvals
• Unlock real-time financial insights
• Reduce risk and fraud exposure
• Free up time for strategic finance work

Contact us for a discovery call and demo.