Where CFOs Can Really Learn AI

Welcome to this week’s edition of Balanced AI Insights!

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I like to keep things practical and honest. Today’s topic is one many of you asked me about after I posted my AI for Leaders certificate from UT Austin.

I got plenty of congratulations (thank you!) — but I also got calls and messages asking: “Was it worth it? Should I sign up too?”

And my answer, more often than not, was: probably not.

That may sound harsh, but let me explain.

📢 Upcoming Events for Finance Leaders – Save the Dates!

As you may know, I host the Fractional CFO Corner at AI Finance Club — a monthly workshop where we break down the latest AI updates relevant for CFOs, brainstorm on adoption challenges, and share real-world use cases in finance.

Our next session is coming up this Thursday, August 21, from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM CDT. I’ll be covering:

• ChatGPT 5: What’s different, what’s new, and how to transition smoothly

• AI Agents: The current state and use cases for finance

• Updates and demos: Notebook LM video overview, Claude Artifacts

These sessions are member-only and part of a growing community of over 1,000 finance professionals who are learning how to use AI in a collaborative and interactive way.

If you’re not a member yet, now is the best time to join. Use this link to get a 10% discount!

The Balanced View: AI for Finance Leaders Educational Landscape

As AI takes on a bigger role in the CFO office, I see more demand for highly practical education. I’ve tried a lot of approaches, both paid and free.

Some of the programs I tried were a waste of time and money. Some free resources, on the other hand, brought me tremendous value. The hard truth is that it is not difficult to find a bad AI course. Maintaining a good one requires instructors who are constantly learning themselves, applying knowledge to real-life workflows, and updating their material. Too few courses meet that standard.

And of course, the pace of innovation in AI is unlike anything we’ve seen before. New tools, new risks, and new regulations are emerging almost weekly.

Still, finance leaders need to keep themselves — and their teams — educated and AI-ready. The question is: how do you do that effectively?

Why Traditional Programs Disappoint

The UT Austin program wasn’t terrible. It provided a broad overview and gave me a reason to carve out time for learning. But it was also clear from the start: the material felt outdated and far too theoretical. Many of my peers admitted they weren’t sure how to apply what they’d learned.

And that’s the problem with most post-graduate or executive programs:

• AI moves too fast for any syllabus to keep pace.

• Academic instructors teach frameworks, not practical use cases.

• By the time you complete the program, what you learned is already dated.

So while these programs can provide structure and credibility, they are not the answer for finance leaders trying to stay relevant.

That said, if you are lucky enough to land in a great cohort, the peers you meet can be a huge source of value. The informal conversations, the shared frustrations, and the private takeaways are things you won’t get in any other setting. In my case, the peer group was more valuable than the curriculum itself.

In addition to broad AI programs, I’ve also noticed a growing number of post-graduate finance programs that now include AI as part of the curriculum. These aren’t AI-specific certificates, but rather MBA or CFO-focused tracks that weave in modules on automation, analytics, and emerging AI tools. I’m encouraged to see AI becoming part of mainstream finance education.

But the same advice applies here: make sure the curriculum is updated frequently, and look for the right balance between theory and practice. Finance leaders need content that reflects the pace of change, not case studies from three years ago. A program that pairs conceptual frameworks with applied demos or live projects will give you far more lasting value than one that stays in the abstract.

Here’s what I’ve found to be far more valuable than a certificate program:

• Experiment. Open ChatGPT, test prompts, try Excel copilots, and build small use cases. Nothing teaches faster than doing.
  

• Follow practitioners. YouTube creators who share their experiments in real time, Newsletters like this one that you're reading now often deliver more usable insights than a textbook.
  

• Stay close to the source. Subscribe to updates from OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, and Google. You’ll learn what’s possible before anyone else has time to repackage it.
  

• Learn in community. At AI Finance Club, peers share what they’re testing, and I share my own experiments. The cross-pollination is invaluable.
  

• Use formal programs sparingly. MIT, Stanford, UT Austin, and others can provide a broad 360-degree view. But treat them as a base layer, not the end of your education.

The most effective approach is to build a framework for AI learning in your organization and in your own routine. Schedule time for it. Organize internal groups that meet regularly to exchange use cases and lessons. Treat it as an ongoing discipline, not a side project.

Additional and Unusual Sources:

Software provider webinars, industry conferences, and podcasts are all worth adding to the mix.

NetSuite, Datarails, and other finance platforms regularly host free webinars and conferences featuring respected speakers. These sessions often showcase real use cases and forward-looking perspectives from industry leaders.

If you already use the software, these events are highly practical. If you don’t, they can still be valuable as a way to hear how vendors are positioning AI and what thought leaders are saying about the future of finance. Think of it as market intelligence, not just product training.

The key is to check the agenda and speakers carefully. Avoid the purely promotional sessions unless you want product-specific content. Focus on those featuring independent experts or panels that discuss broader trends.

Podcasts are another staple in my learning routine. They are easy to fit into travel, commutes, or workouts, and the best ones consistently bring fresh perspectives on technology and leadership.

Podcasts will not teach you how to prompt ChatGPT step by step, but they do sharpen your perspective and broaden the way you think about disruption and strategy. They keep you from getting stuck in the narrow view of just one tool or one workflow.

There isn’t one single path to becoming “AI-ready” as a finance leader. The most effective approach blends multiple sources: experimenting yourself, following practitioners, learning from peers, and using vendor and community resources.

The important part is consistency. Set aside time each week, stay close to the latest developments, and keep the conversation alive with your team. That rhythm matters far more than any certificate on the wall.

Curated AI Education Resources from an AI CFO

Thought Leaders & Newsletters

• Glenn Hopper — Finance futurist, author of Deep Finance, and AI strategist helping CFOs and FP&A teams modernize through AI-powered workflows and forecasting
  

• Tobias Zwingmann — Writes The Augmented Advantage, a weekly newsletter offering actionable AI insights to help business leaders innovate and grow 
  

• Wouter Born — Co-founder of CFOOffice.io, author of AI CFO Office, a fast-growing newsletter delivering AI, automation, and finance leadership guidance 
  

• Conor Grennan — Chief AI Architect at NYU Stern and founder of AI Mindset. He co-hosts the AI Applied podcast and runs a daily AI newsletter focused on trends, adoption frameworks, and leadership mindset 
  

YouTube & Online Channels

• Skill Leap AI — Structured video lessons on applying AI tools and skills in practical settings.
  

• Nicolas Boucher — AI practitioner who breaks down prompts and tools in real-time demonstrations.
  

• AI Foundations — A channel offering digestible introductions to AI applications in business contexts.
  

• Official YouTube Channels — Follow Anthropic, OpenAI, Microsoft Mechanics, and Google Cloud AI for release demos and deep-dives straight from the source.
  

Podcasts

• AI Applied — Hosted by Conor Grennan and Jaeden Schafer. Provides daily AI insights, trends, and tool discussions, with a focus on generative models and their practical use cases.
  

• All-In Podcast — Strategy, venture, and business implications of AI.
  

• Practical AI — Real-world AI use cases across industries.
  

• Eye on AI — Interviews with experts, technologists, and sometimes regulators.
  

• CFO Thought Leader — Broader finance leadership content with regular touchpoints on AI and tech trends.
  

Communities

• AI Finance Club — The best peer-driven learning community for finance leaders eager to test tools, exchange ideas, and stay sharp in AI adoption.

Closing Thoughts

AI education is not a milestone — it’s a practice.

The UT Austin program gave me perspective, but the real learning came from experimenting, sharing with peers, and staying close to practitioners and sources. That’s the path I recommend to other finance leaders:

• Learn by doing.

• Learn from each other.

• Keep your learning continuous, not episodic.

And most importantly, lead by example: show your teams that experimenting, sharing, and adapting are part of modern CFO leadership.

We Want Your Feedback!

This newsletter is for you, and we want to make it as valuable as possible. Please reply to this email with your questions, comments, or topics you'd like to see covered in future issues. Your input shapes our content!

Want to dive deeper into balanced AI adoption for your finance team? Or do you want to hire an AI-powered CFO? Book a consultation! 

Did you find this newsletter helpful? Forward it to a colleague who might benefit!

Until next Tuesday, keep balancing!

Anna Tiomina 
AI-Powered CFO