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AI in Finance

AI in Finance does not always have to cost a million

15 July 2026 · 2 min

Stay close to the thinking

Practical perspective on FP&A, finance transformation, and AI. Published when there's something worth saying, not on a schedule.

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What this video covers

Most finance teams assume AI requires a significant budget. So they wait until the timing is right, until the budget allows, until the organisation is ready. However it can start smaller with what you have. Your Excel models are already a foundation and AI can work with it right now. Three things specifically. Build an AI-powered dashboard on your existing models as the data source. The model your team already trusts becomes the engine behind a dashboard leadership will actually use. Optimise the redundant calculations, inefficient structures, formulas nobody remembers writing in the existing models using AI. Streamline for scale. What currently takes three days to update can be automated by making it significantly faster to run. AI does not always have to be a million-dollar decision. Sometimes the smartest move is knowing what to do with what you already have.

SA

Shaheen Ali, FCCA

15+ years in FP&A, audit, and finance transformation. Based in Qatar.

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