All I Want for Christmas Is Clean Data: AI, Automation & the Human Side of Finance
“AI isn’t magic. It just automates what you already understand.”
As the year comes to a close, Chris and Mike take a festive pause to reflect on the biggest themes shaping finance transformation right now. From AI excitement and automation overload to the reality of messy data and human resistance, this Christmas special separates what’s useful from what’s just noise.
Looking back on the year’s conversations, they explore why AI hasn’t been the silver bullet many expected—and why that’s not a bad thing. Instead, the real progress has come from organisations getting clearer on their processes, improving data quality, and recognising that change only sticks when people are brought along with it.
The episode also revisits familiar truths heard again and again throughout the year: automation magnifies existing problems, leadership behaviour sets the pace for adoption, and no amount of technology can compensate for poor foundations. It’s a reflective, honest end-of-year conversation that reminds listeners that meaningful transformation is built steadily—not delivered overnight.
Get it on Acast, Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts!
Author
“Chris Argent isn’t here to play by finance’s old rulebook - he’s here to rewrite it.” From challenging outdated corporate thinking to rallying finance leaders around a more connected, adaptable future, the founder of GENCFO is leading a quiet revolution in how CFOs and finance leadership work, think, and influence. Chris Argent, founder of GENCFO, is a finance leader redefining the role beyond business partnering. A self-described “reluctant accountant,” he’s built a global community for progressive accounting and finance leaders who value connection over competition and action over tradition. Chris believes the greatest risk to the profession is clinging to outdated norms, and that mindset and adaptability outpace any technological change. His work champions leaders who turn new ideas into real-world change, blending people-centred strategies with new ways of working and technology. In conversations, he challenges, provokes, and inspires - proving that the future of finance belongs to those ready to lead it together.