# OpenAI CFO says AI is replacing rote finance work

> Sarah Friar says OpenAI is using AI to cut routine finance work, including credit checks that once cost $200 each.
- Title: OpenAI CFO says AI is replacing rote finance work | Shortify
- Summary: Sarah Friar says OpenAI is using AI to cut routine finance work, including credit checks that once cost $200 each. AI is already shrinking demand for…
- Keywords: sarah friar, openai, finance tasks, credit checks, procurement, cnbc, jim cramer, dario amodei, anthropic, geoffrey hinton, white-collar jobs, CFO
- Source: Business Insider — https://businessinsider.com/sarah-friar-openai-cfo-ai-replacing-mundane-jobs-2026-9
- Author: Katherine Li
- Published: 2026-09-16T04:01:01.287+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: sarah friar, openai, ai, finance tasks, credit checks, procurement, cnbc, jim cramer, dario amodei, anthropic, geoffrey hinton, white-collar jobs
## AI trims rote work
OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar said AI is reducing the need for workers on repetitive tasks, including inside her own finance department.

> There is no doubt we are doing things with our own products inside of finance, for example, that do limit the number of people we need
## Credit checks changed first
Friar pointed to procurement credit checks, which OpenAI was doing at a rate of 2,800 a year. She called the work mundane and better suited to a model.

> That credit check is a pretty mundane piece of work
## People move upmarket
Her argument is that AI takes the rote work while employees spend more time on judgment-heavy tasks where human intelligence matters more.

> It's actually enabling people to do more work at the edge, more work where intelligence is needed
## The savings are huge
Friar said the cost per credit check fell from $200 to about 17 cents. For a finance chief, that kind of drop is hard to ignore.

> That is a great ROI for a CFO
## Others warn of layoffs
Her comments land amid darker forecasts. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has warned AI could erase half of entry-level white-collar jobs.
## Hinton says it is early
Geoffrey Hinton said those job-loss predictions are probably right, even though AI still fails at some tasks. His warning: the technology is improving fast.

> We're in the very early stages
## Key takeaway

AI is already shrinking demand for repetitive office tasks, while leaders disagree on how far job losses may go.