More output isn’t better business: Workday’s CFO Zane Rowe on how finance chiefs should really measure AI

Workday CFO Zane Rowe emphasizes that the true value of AI lies not in simply automating tasks, but in empowering employees to rethink their work processes, uncover new insights, and add greater value to the business. Rowe recently examined a list of 10 AI agents being developed by his tax team, acknowledging that not all projects will succeed, but they provide insight into the company's exploration of agentic AI internally.

Workday's finance transformation team collaborates with research and development, business technology teams, and customers to test its own products and technologies, as well as learn how finance organizations are adopting AI. The company aims to improve business insights by expanding Decision Intelligence, which works across its portfolio in finance and HR, allowing finance teams to understand what drives business performance, test scenarios, and assess potential impacts.

Additionally, Workday unveiled "autopilot agents" to automate routine workflows in accounting, payroll, and hiring; an expanded "Trusted Agent Platform" for building and deploying custom AI agents; and a partnership with Anthropic to connect their platforms and agentic experiences. Rowe stresses that measuring AI's success goes beyond traditional ROI calculations, focusing instead on better work, stronger decisions, increased organizational capacity, and enhanced customer value.