The Intersection of FP&A and AI with Gabriela Gutierrez
On this episode of Future Finance, hosts Paul Barnhurst and Glenn Hopper speak with Gabriela Gutierrez, a finance professional turned AI entrepreneur, about the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and financial planning and analysis (FP&A). Gabriela shares her insights on how AI can enhance finance processes, eliminate manual tasks, and ultimately drive strategic growth.
Paul opens the episode by sharing key observations from Carl Seidman’s recent FP&A reflections. He emphasizes that while AI in finance is in its early stages, its potential for automation, especially generative AI, is massive. Paul also notes the importance of staying ahead of these trends, highlighting Seidman’s bold prediction that AI will significantly disrupt finance roles over the next decade.
Gabriela builds on this theme by discussing her journey from traditional finance roles at eBay and Teads to launching a stealth startup focused on AI-powered finance solutions. She reveals how she learned Python and machine learning out of necessity to improve forecasting accuracy in her finance roles. Her deep dive into data science allowed her to streamline processes, develop robust models, and increase forecasting precision—an invaluable skill set for finance professionals in the AI era.
Gabriela emphasizes the need for finance professionals to acquire at least basic coding skills, like SQL, to stay competitive. She believes that as businesses collect more data, proficiency in data science and coding is essential for creating faster, more accurate reports. This insight underscores the growing role of data-driven decision-making in finance.
As AI continues to advance, Gabriela predicts a future where finance professionals will rely on AI to handle routine tasks, allowing them to focus on more strategic and innovative work. Her own startup aims to remove the tedious parts of finance, letting AI take over the “boring” tasks and freeing professionals to add more value.
Listen to the full episode below.
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