From POCs to Real Results: AI in Finance with IBM Consulting

Why is enterprise AI still stuck in pilot mode? And what does it take to actually scale?

In this episode of HFS Unfiltered Stories, Saurabh Gupta, President, Research and Advisory Services at HFS Research, is joined by Khalid Siddiqui, Global Finance Operations Offering Leader at IBM Consulting, for a no-fluff conversation about how to move from AI aspiration to enterprise-wide activation.

You can listen above or watch this HFS Videocast here:

Khalid unpacks real-world examples of where AI—and more importantly, agentic AI—has been successfully deployed to improve cash flow, reduce processing time, and create orchestration across systems. They go beyond the hype to explore:

• Why AI is “dying a death by a thousand POCs”—and how to avoid it
• A building materials client’s journey from 30-minute query resolution to 2-minute outcomes using AI agents
• The critical role of data readiness and system simplification in AI scalability
• How agentic AI and AI fabric are orchestrating finance operations end-to-end
• The hidden cost of AI adoption: data debt, process debt, cultural resistance
• Tangible business results: improving DSO, boosting collections, and reducing controller workload across 50+ markets.

Tired of AI pilots that go nowhere? Watch this candid conversation to learn what it takes to make AI work at scale—and how you can get there faster. Tune in now to start turning your AI ambitions into enterprise-wide impact.

You can also listen on:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify