While putting this roundup together, my biggest challenge was deciding what to leave out.
There’s been a flood of AI news again — new laws, new tools, new ways to automate entire workflows — and it’s easy to get lost in the noise. My goal with AI News of the Month is to keep you focused on what truly matters.
This issue also marks an exciting milestone — it’s the first edition with a paid segment. Balanced AI Insights is now reader-supported, and I’m deeply grateful to everyone who upgraded.
In the subscriber-only section, you’ll find a leadership briefing with “what to do next” guidance.
It also includes three ready-to-use templates you can download directly inside Beehiiv:
1️⃣ AI Safety & Use Statement (for fractional CFOs)
2️⃣ Corporate AI Policy Checklist
3️⃣ AI File Creation Policy Addendum
⚡ TL;DR — September at a Glance
Governance: California and Italy both passed landmark AI laws — the enforcement era begins.
Tools: Claude and Copilot Set a New Standard for File Creation.
Infrastructure: Databricks and NetSuite are embedding AI directly into core financial systems.
Spending: a16z + Mercury revealed where startups are actually investing their AI dollars.
1. Governance — From California to Europe, AI Oversight Gets Real
Two landmark laws this month continue the trend of increasing AI regulation:
U.S. — California’s “Transparency in Frontier AI Act” (SB-1047) sweeping requirements for developers of large, high-impact models. It mandates public safety frameworks, a statewide incident reporting system, whistleblower protections, and even a new CalCompute consortium to build a public AI computing cluster supporting safe and ethical research.
EU — Italy becomes the first EU member state to pass a national AI law, adding criminal penalties (1–5 years) for harmful AI misuse. Germany and Ireland have also begun implementing the EU AI Act with national enforcement authorities
So What:
The era of voluntary AI governance is over — laws are now targeting both developers and companies using AI in operations.
Even mid-market firms will need visibility into where AI is used, how results are reviewed, and who approves them.
Expect investors and auditors to begin asking about AI safety, testing, and disclosure readiness in 2026.
2. Tools — Claude and Copilot Set a New Standard for File Creation
Two enterprise tools made meaningful progress this month — not toward full autonomy yet, but toward reliable, enterprise-grade file creation.
Anthropic’s new file-creation feature lets Claude generate and analyze Excel, Word, and PDF files directly in chat using live code execution.
Microsoft Copilot’s “Vibe Working” update introduced Agent Mode and Office Agent, automating multi-step workflows and monitoring team “vibes” for productivity signals.
So What:
The line between AI assistant and employee is blurring — these tools can now generate documents, prepare reports, and run simple workflows.
That means output quality, version control, and validation must become part of your governance process.
These tools can save hours in reporting and analysis prep, but every file they produce still needs human review, data checks, and secure storage practices.
3. Infrastructure — Databricks × NetSuite Bring AI to the Core Stack
Two major integrations show AI moving directly into the financial data layer:
Databricks × OpenAI partnership embeds GPT-5 and Agent Bricks into the Databricks platform, enabling governed, in-place AI on enterprise data.
NetSuite’s AI Connector Service lets companies connect preferred LLMs or agents to ERP data through secure, role-based access and Model Context Protocol compliance.
So What:
The finance stack itself is becoming AI-native.
AI-enabled ERPs and data platforms will reduce integration costs and shadow pipelines — but CFOs will need clear ownership for permissions, data lineage, and AI cost centers.
Vendor pricing and contract terms may soon include “AI compute” as a line item; it’s time to update budgeting frameworks.
4. Research — Where AI Dollars Really Go (a16z × Mercury)
The a16z × Mercury AI Application Spending Report looked across over 200,000 startup transactions (June–August 2025) and ranked the top 50 AI-native application companies by spend.
60 % of the listed firms are horizontal tools (tools usable across functions).
OpenAI and Anthropic ranked #1 and #2, respectively, in terms of startup spend.
So What:
The data confirms: finance is slower to adopt, and the vertical spend for finance is still minimal — most AI investment today targets general productivity, creative, or cross-functional tools.
But the fact that OpenAI and Anthropic dominate the spend ranking (#1 and #2) reinforces their incumbency. They’re the safe bets in AI tooling.
The subscriber-only section this month includes the September Leadership Brief— “What to Do Next” with specific, CFO-level guidance on:
How to prepare for new AI regulations and build your first internal AI Safety Statement,
How to safely begin experimenting with AI-generated files in finance workflows,
How to engage vendors now that enterprise systems like NetSuite and Databricks are going AI-native
It also comes with three downloadable templates to use immediately:
1️⃣ AI Safety & Use Statement (for fractional CFOs)
2️⃣ Corporate AI Policy Checklist
3️⃣ AI File Creation Policy Addendum
Closing Thoughts
I started Balanced AI Insights to make sure finance professionals had a clear, practical voice cutting through AI hype — and I’m grateful you’re part of that growing circle.
The work ahead isn’t about chasing tools; it’s about building trust, structure, and confidence in how we use them.
Thank you for reading — and to paid subscribers, thank you for helping me keep this work independent and focused on what truly matters.
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Until next Tuesday, keep balancing!
Anna Tiomina
AI-Powered CFO