Document Automation Trends 2025 Report

Finance leaders are being tested. Juggling multiple responsibilities, securing cash flow, and tackling fraud. Our finance leader’s guide to digital transformation will show you how to automate like a boss.

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Taking back control in 2025

For our inaugural Document Automation Trends 2025 report we surveyed 470+ finance leaders across the UK, US, and Germany. Our research reveals insights that’ll help you identify emerging opportunities, transform your team’s productivity and position it as an innovation leader driving business growth.

You’ll learn…

How the trends will shape 2025
Candid insights from leaders restructuring their operations
Qualified analysis from global experts
Key actions for success
KPIs that top-performing finance teams are tracking

Moving beyond theories, we share actionable intelligence that translates into business impact. It isn’t about keeping pace and leading the charge into finance’s next transformation.

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crowd scene - document automation trends

Humans will lead the digital transformation!

We’re living the AI human collaboration revolution. But finance leaders need more than buzzwords. They need a concrete transformation path. While fear and resistance can slow progress, the solution lies in seizing practical control. Building robust security strategies, establishing clear protocols for citizen developers, and implementing tested best practices.

The bedrock of this transformation is choosing the right AI-powered document automation solution. One that handles your existing document types, adapts to regulatory changes, and maintains robust security standards. Success comes from solutions that empower teams, automating complete workflows to deliver immediate efficiency gains and lasting business impact.

Leaders who move beyond AI discussions to strategic action will land the competitive advantage.

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humans will lead the digital transformation - human pointing - number one - document automation trends

"The real breakthrough comes when we understand AI as an enabler - amplifying human creativity, intuition, and leadership. As AI handles data-intensive tasks, humans can shift their focus to skills adaptability and focus on innovation, vision, and ethical decision-making. This is not about replacing humans but evolving and augmenting our innate abilities - working alongside AI to unlock unprecedented levels of human connection,
productivity and innovation..."

Kieran Gilmurray,

CEO, Kieran Gilmurray and Company Limited

Andreas Welsch

"2025 is about turning AI from a tool into a competitive advantage. Embrace AI as a strategic partner, integrated into decision-making and daily operations. Unlock new efficiencies, drive smarter investments, and stay ahead of the competition by leveraging AI-augmented insights and automation."

Andreas Welsch,

Founder & Chief AI Strategist, Intelligence Briefing

Dan Lucarini

"If your team is still personally reading documents and copying and pasting data, there’s really no time to waste here. Every finance leader must have an AI automation plan in place now, or you risk falling too far behind your savvy competitors. Where to start? There’s so much hype and confusion around GenAI and AI Agents, so you need to ask the vendors: how will your AI solve my problem? Partner with the one who replies, tell me first about your processes and people. Then we’ll talk about the AI."

Dan Lucarini,

Senior Industry Analyst, Deep Analysis

DOCUMENT AUTOMATION TREND #2

AI will be the elephant in the room if there’s resistance to change

Resistance to AI adoption will have a major impact on organizations and their people in 2025, leading to delays in innovation, reduced efficiency, lower employee morale, and rising costs. Over time, it could leave companies lagging behind their AI-driven competitors. It’s time to confront the AI elephant in the room.

Engage teams in open discussions about the risks of ignoring AI versus the benefits of embracing it. Provide training to address fears, collect feedback, and create a culture in which employees have a sense of ownership and investment in AI integration.

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AI will be the elephant in the room of there's resistance to change - document automation trends

Flavio Ramos

"As 2025 approaches, Finance Leaders should prioritize increasing data transparency, embracing cloud solutions, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement in their SAP environments. Focusing on document automation will allow them to significantly reduce costs and enhance data accuracy both essential for driving strategic decisions and
fostering innovation."

Flavio Ramos,

Head of Delivery, Qiado

Ralf Dillmann

"AI-powered invoice automation surpasses the limitations of template-based OCR by enabling adaptive learning and contextual understanding, allowing for greater accuracy and efficiency in data extraction, regardless of format or layout. To overcome resistance on the AP side, it’s essential to highlight how automation frees AP team members from repetitive tasks, empowering them to focus on value-added activities that support growth and improve the overall AP workflow."

Ralf Dillmann,

Partner, BearingPoint

DOCUMENT AUTOMATION TREND #3

Cybercriminals will adapt to new technologies faster than you

In 2025, cybercriminals will continue to knock down defenses by quickly adapting to new technologies. Gen AI, while boosting efficiency in areas like accounts payable, will also enable fraudsters to create vast numbers of realistic, fraudulent documents. Traditional fraud detection will fail as cybercriminals flood systems with fake purchase orders that dodge scrutiny.

Businesses must adopt AI-driven defenses that replicate the complexity of the attacks. AI gateways that can spot anomalies and patterns, and reject fraudulent documents before they cause damage.

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Cybercriminals will adapt to new technologies faster than you - document automation trends

Caroline Krebs

"To stay ahead of fraudsters who quickly adapt to new technologies, finance leaders must implement AI-powered solutions that analyze vast datasets in real-time. Unlike manual or rule-based approaches, AI learns and evolves, detecting suspicious activities as they occur. Adopting advanced AI technology is essential to safeguarding operations against increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes..."

Caroline Krebs,

VP of Finance, Rossum

Christopher Penn

"Language models can create text so persuasive, psychologists are using it to persuade people to not believe misinformation. Trends to pay attention to especially in cybercrime are agentic AI networks - AI models and infrastructure networked together that can accomplish incredibly complex tasks that a single AI model could not do alone..."

Christopher S. Penn,

Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist, Trust Insights

DOCUMENT AUTOMATION TREND #4

Fortify your AP tech stack against the wave of AI technology coming your way

In 2025, finance teams must fortify their tech stacks against the surge of new AI technologies. While AI can streamline processes and boost efficiency, poorly integrated solutions will lead to vulnerabilities, data breaches, and operational chaos. Fragmented systems impede optimization, making it essential to build a robust, secure, and well-integrated tech stack.

Ensuring seamless integration of AI tools with existing platforms will be key to maintaining data integrity and protecting revenue streams. A proactive strategy that includes planning, security best practices, and forecasting is essential to future-proof your tech stack.

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Fortify your AP tech stack - document automation trends

Harsh Kumar Garg

"The integration of AI and machine learning in document processing is reshaping finance operations. Finance leaders should prioritize investing in AI-driven tools that automate repetitive tasks, enhancing efficiency and accuracy. Implementing these technologies can streamline workflows and reduce human error, allowing teams to focus on
strategic decision-making..."

Harsh Kumar Garg,

AI Engineer, Probus Insurance Broker Pvt Ltd

Abhishek Vats

"Automation through AI is essential for today's AP teams, but be cautious about its promises. Choose tools wisely to avoid a mix of systems that don't work together. Build a finance tech stack that aligns with your financial goals and is flexible for growth. Don't rush to automate everything. Select tools that integrate with your existing systems and improve your data. This will help you stay ahead in the competitive landscape."
(These views are Abhishek's own and in no way represent his organization.)"

Abhishek Vats,

Head of Acceptance, Asia-Pacific, Visa

Gerald Hines

"Our advice would be for finance and operational leaders to look across their organization and identify where their largest manual data entry activity is found. This should then be coupled with information to assess the time that data entry is consuming. This would immediately identify where there is low-hanging fruit ripe for automation."

Gerald Hines,

CEO, 8Quanta

Manuel Miranda

"CFOs who delay AI adoption risk falling behind, while the ones who strategically embrace it are positioning their organizations at the forefront of innovation. Targeting key areas such as data analysis, reporting automation, and expense management, a well-planned rollout enhances processes and allows teams to focus on high-impact work..."

Manuel Miranda,

Project Manager, TRUST - Gestão Integrada de Saúde

DOCUMENT AUTOMATION TREND #5

The number of citizen developers will rise, so be ready to control with a short leash

The push for citizen development is still strong, with hopes that it will drive large-scale RPA adoption and reduce reliance on IT. Hey, anyone can code, right? But there’s a catch. While the burden on IT initially dropped, the complexity of real-world business processes has exposed the limitations of these low-code tools.

Yes, technical training requirements are reduced, but gaps in problem solving and logic skills are becoming apparent. The emerging trend? Businesses will need to strategically manage citizen developers, balancing their efforts with IT supervision to avoid chaos and ensure successful automation.

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citizen developers will rise - document automation trends

Petr Baudiš

"One thing to watch out for is that complex IT projects aren't only about software developers, but also about IT analysts that design the big picture architecture and make sure that requirements are specced out upfront and the full real world complexity is covered. LLMs will not cover this in the short term, so keep that role staffed! Without software developers around to catch any omissions in the analysis, this role will have
higher responsibility than ever..."

Petr Baudiš,

Co-founder & CTO, Rossum

DOCUMENT AUTOMATION TREND #6

Channels, document types, and formats will increase, testing teams chasing end-to-end automation

Finance teams will face growing complexity as transactional documents come from an increasing number of channels, languages, and formats. This increase in diversity will make end-to-end automation harder to achieve, leading to inefficiencies, higher error rates, and strained resources. Global regulations, such as expanding e-invoicing mandates across Europe and Latin America, will only add to the challenge.

To stay ahead, businesses will need a unified platform capable of managing all document streams, seamlessly adapting to new requirements and automating processes across borders without overwhelming their IT teams.

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Channels, document types, and formats will increase - document automation trends

Brent Wesler

"AP invoice automation focuses on procurement documents like invoices and purchase orders, which often contain similar key terms, making data capture easier. Due to this standardization, finance managers can achieve a significant ROI by automating procurement processes, given the high transaction volumes (>1000 documents/month) and numerous low-value tasks (data entry, matching and routing) involved..."

Brent Wesler,

VP of Strategic Technology and Digital Automation, PiF Technologies

Nick Smallwood-Faraci

"Intelligent document processing isn't just about automating manual tasks - it's about creating a unified, compliant, and scalable foundation that will future-proof the accounts payable processes. By embracing this approach now, finance leaders can ensure operational efficiency and mitigate risks as regulatory demands evolve..."

Nick Smallwood-Faraci,

Head of Finance Operations, Deliveroo

Philippe Jaggi

"Organizations are facing an explosion of document formats and channels. The challenge is to maintain accuracy and efficiency in workflows. To stay ahead of the curve, finance leaders should make Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) a cornerstone of their automation strategy, as this technology offers a scalable, AI-driven approach. Start by identifying high-volume processes - such as invoice processing - and consider adopting an IDP solution to optimize this critical area."

Philippe Jaggi,

Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) Community

Mary Schaeffer

"We’ve been talking about this for years, but it is finally starting to happen across the board. One of the very few silver linings from COVID was the realization that paper created an obstacle that just doesn’t have to be in the business world. Invoices were the first to take the hit. Whether through use of automation and/or simply emailing invoices, paper invoices are fast going the way of the dinosaur. Likewise, and I realize this is only a US issue, we are FINALLY seeing folks move to electronic payments in a BIG way."

Mary Schaeffer,

Founder & Host of the AP Now YouTube channel, AP Now

DOCUMENT AUTOMATION TREND #7

CFOs that strategically roll out AI will have the edge

Forward-thinking CFOs must embrace AI to stay competitive and drive business impact. Rather than spending time on manual tasks like invoice processing and dealing with late payments, they must focus on eliminating inefficiencies through automation.

Strategical AI implementation to high-impact areas will mean CFOs can shift their attention from routine back-office functions to more value-driven activities like reinforcing customer interactions, analyzing the competitive landscape, and identifying performance drivers. Leading the push for digitization will be the key differentiator between leaders and lackeys.

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CFOs that strategically roll out AI will have the edge - document automation trends

Kathleen Danilchick

"Finance leaders should leverage off of data to drive decisions and hold people accountable. Include data in daily dashboards to set short term and long term goals for improving efficiencies and accountability."

Kathleen Danilchick,

CFO, Atlas Real Estate Group

Sarah Isam Alawneh

"Automating documents will improve interdisciplinary teams' ability to collaborate in real time, particularly on large-scale urban planning projects. CFOs that strategically apply AI will benefit from faster decision-making and data-driven insights, giving them a competitive edge. Along with increasing efficiency, this evolution will lead to more intelligent and sustainable design solutions that put the needs of the user and the environment first..."

Sarah Isam Alawneh,

Computational Researcher, University of Sharjah

Joshua Conneely

"My advice for leaders is to approach automation as an essential part of digital transformation rather than an optional upgrade. When considering automation, it’s crucial to focus on scalability, integration capabilities, and user experience. A solution needs to fit into your existing infrastructure without creating new silos, and it should be flexible enough to adapt to future technology advancements."

Joshua Conneely,

Technical Consultant, MaxLogic

Shail Khiyara

"The trend towards AI-driven real-time decision support will be transformative for finance leaders, enabling them to extract immediate insights from document data to make faster, more informed decisions. To leverage this, finance leaders should focus on integrating AI tools with their existing systems to streamline data flow and ensure accessibility..."

Shail Khiyara,

Founder and CEO, VOCAL Council

Ready to automate like a boss?

Download our Document Automation Trends 2025 report.
A finance leader’s guide to digital transformation.

Document Automation Trends 2025 Report

Taking back control in 2025

Humans will lead the digital transformation!

Top 7 document automation trends 2025

Humans will remain key to unlocking automation’s full potential

"2025 is about turning AI from a tool into a competitive advantage. Embrace AI as a strategic partner, integrated into decision-making and daily operations. Unlock new efficiencies, drive smarter investments, and stay ahead of the competition by leveraging AI-augmented insights and automation."

AI will be the elephant in the room if there’s resistance to change

Cybercriminals will adapt to new technologies faster than you

Fortify your AP tech stack against the wave of AI technology coming your way

The number of citizen developers will rise, so be ready to control with a short leash

Channels, document types, and formats will increase, testing teams chasing end-to-end automation

CFOs that strategically roll out AI will have the edge

"Finance leaders should leverage off of data to drive decisions and hold people accountable. Include data in daily dashboards to set short term and long term goals for improving efficiencies and accountability."

Ready to automate like a boss?

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