AI use cases and Prompts for CFOs
A set of 3 high-impact prompts with clear, actionable steps
There Are 2 Types of CFOs
Every CFO I talk to falls into one of two camps.
1. The Defensive CFO
This group clings to old objections:
AI isn’t accurate enough.
What about data security?
We don’t need it yet.
They see AI as a problem to be managed rather than an advantage to be leveraged. They worry about risks but fail to see the greater risk: being left behind.
They’re stuck in outdated processes while AI-driven finance teams move faster, cut costs, and gain deeper insights.
The reality is every past innovation faced skepticism.
Spreadsheets replaced handwritten ledgers.
Cloud software replaced on-prem solutions.
AI will replace manual financial analysis.
2. The Forward-Thinking CFO
This group sees AI as an opportunity, not a threat. They’re not waiting for a perfect, risk-free version of AI. Instead, they’re testing, experimenting, and learning how AI can automate workflows, improve decision-making, and uncover financial insights they previously missed.
They’re the ones:
Running AI-powered scenario modeling to forecast cash flow in seconds.
Automating tedious tasks like expense reconciliation and fraud detection.
Using AI for deep market research, identifying trends before competitors do.
They know that adopting AI now means gaining a competitive edge later. They aren’t reckless, but they also aren’t frozen by fear. They test AI in controlled environments, refining its use before it becomes standard in every finance function.
The question is: Which CFO are you?
Consider today’s letter as a backstage pass to how modern CFOs are using AI to work smarter, not harder. Complete with ready-to-use prompts and real-world examples.
Here’s your simple guide.
A set of 3 high-impact prompts with clear, step-by-step instructions and a list of files to upload to any AI models like ChatGPT Operator, Deep Research, or o3-mini and make it work for you as a 24/7 partner.
Use Case 1: Automate Manual Tasks
Tools: ChatGPT Operator, Example by Pluto
Objective: Automate manual financial tasks, like reviewing receipts and locking inactive cards. Help Accountants save time and become strategic.
Manual tasks waste precious time. Every hour spent sorting receipts or locking inactive cards is an hour lost from strategic planning and decision-making. Pluto shows a powerful example: using an intelligent agent like ChatGPT Operator to automate these time-wasting tasks.
This frees up your team to focus on high-value work, like uncovering growth opportunities and refining your business strategy. And while this example comes from Pluto, you can use the same technique in any CFOTech application.
In this screen recording below, Mo scrubs through the video to show how he asked the agent to review all his receipts and delete those without any associated transactions. “I would never have found the time to do this manually,” says Mo!
Here’s what happened: