This article was paid for by Intuit QuickBooks.
AI has created countless opportunities for business owners to become more efficient and reduce human error — even when it comes to managing their finances.
In July 2025, 71% of small businesses reported regularly using AI tools, according to the latest Intuit QuickBooks Small Business Insights survey, up from 39% the previous year.
Meanwhile, the percentage of businesses that have never used AI has shrunk from 40% in 2024 to just 23% in 2025.
AI can help business owners manage their finances through automation, predictive insights and compliance and risk management.
Owners and solopreneurs can feel the pressure of having more tasks than time. AI allows you to be more efficient in managing financial data and to go deeper — helping you glean critical insights that can impact your daily decision-making and long-term growth.
AI can also assist you by offloading repetitive tasks, transforming data into strategic foresight and ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations. It can even help keep your books organized in case of an audit.
As your business’s digital footprint grows, it also becomes more vulnerable to cybercrime. Experian’s 2025 Commercial Pulse Report found that financial fraud against small businesses has increased by 70% since the start of the pandemic, at a cost of billions each year. AI can provide checks to help protect your data by monitoring for fraud and unusual transactions.
1. Transaction categorization and reconciliation
AI can suggest categories based on how you’ve classified previous transactions and vendors, reducing time spent on data entry and correcting human error. With the extra assist, you can keep your records more organized and up-to-date.
2. Cash flow forecasting
AI can analyze past revenues, expenses and trends to forecast future cash flow, including when there might be a shortfall. That can help business owners to plan to lower costs or boost marketing efforts.
3. Expense optimization and budgeting support
Savvy business owners can utilize AI to spot cost trends, such as recurring overruns or increased supplier costs, and even suggest ways to reduce spending. AI can also assist in building realistic budgets and analyzing spending data to see where (and possibly why) you’re overspending.
4. Fraud detection and alerts
AI can monitor transaction patterns and alert owners about unusually large payments, duplicate invoices and other anomalies. This could reduce accounting discrepancies and increase the likelihood of detecting human error or fraud.
5. Regulatory compliance
You could use AI to categorize and track relevant financial data, maintain audit trails and ensure your financial documents are safely and accurately stored. Should an audit occur, you’ll be in a better position to answer the call.
6. Accuracy in data transfer and bookkeeping
Manual data entry is error-prone, but AI can help reduce typos, miscategorizations and other mistakes by automating your data transfer. Accurate books help empower confident decision-making.