Basware: AI absorbing entry-level finance work raises an expertise gap
The Next Web reports that finance departments are handing AI systems tasks once considered entry-level, such as extracting and validating data, routing approvals and resolving issues without human intervention. Basware product director Kevin Kamau said the incoming cohort of finance staff is AI-native and will never do the manual work that built senior judgment, asking where expert judgment will come from once that apprenticeship is automated. Basware, which says more than 2.5 billion invoices inform its platform and it supports over one billion AI actions a year, recently launched an AI certification program for finance professionals covering how AI agents operate in financial workflows and where human judgment remains essential.
The report frames the shift as a training problem rather than only a jobs question, arguing that organizations must find new ways to build judgment and expertise as AI takes over the repetitive work that once taught people how finance operations function.
Finance professionals used to learn their jobs by doing the work themselves. They processed invoices, reconciled accounts, investigated exceptions, chased approvals, and gradually developed the judgment needed to handle more complex situations.
The work was often repetitive, but it trained the next generation of finance leaders. Artificial intelligence is changing that process.
Across finance departments, AI systems are taking on tasks that were once considered entry-level responsibilities. They can extract data or validate information, route approvals, and even identify and solve issues without human intervention.