# Workday CFO: AI's real value isn't more output

> Zane Rowe argues finance leaders should measure AI by better decisions and employee engagement, not just efficiency gains.
- Title: Workday CFO: AI's real value isn't more output · Fortune
- Summary: Zane Rowe argues finance leaders should measure AI by better decisions and employee engagement, not just efficiency gains. Workday CFO Zane Rowe says AI's…
- Keywords: workday, zane rowe, ai strategy, finance transformation, agentic ai, cfo leadership, ai measurement, business intelligence, CFO, AI's, real, value
- Source: Fortune — https://fortune.com/2026/10/21/workday-cfo-autopilot-agents-finance-chiefs-measure-ai
- Author: Sheryl Estrada
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: workday, zane rowe, ai strategy, finance transformation, agentic ai, cfo leadership, ai measurement, business intelligence
## Workday's AI vision goes beyond automation
Workday CFO Zane Rowe says AI's promise is giving employees freedom to rethink how they work, uncover insights, and add more value to the business.
## Testing AI agents internally
Rowe reviewed a list of ten AI agents being developed by Workday's tax team to improve how employees work. Not every agent will make the cut.
## Two major opportunities for AI
Workday sees improving business insights and redesigning processes from end to end as the main ways AI can add value to finance operations.
## Decision Intelligence expands across products
Workday is expanding Decision Intelligence beyond Adaptive to HR and finance. The tool helps teams understand what drives business performance and test scenarios.
## New autopilot agents and partnerships
At its Rising event, Workday announced autopilot agents for accounting, payroll, and hiring, an expanded Trusted Agent Platform, and a partnership with Anthropic.
## Rowe redefines AI success beyond ROI
Rowe says measuring AI is more than ROI. Success means better work, stronger decisions, greater organizational capacity, and improved customer value.

> I always hear people talk about ROI, and I think it's so much more than that.
## Output alone doesn't make business better
AI might enable a finance team to generate twice as many reports, but that alone doesn't necessarily make the business better, Rowe explained.
## The real measure: insights and engagement
A more meaningful measure is whether teams can use AI to uncover insights, anticipate problems, advise leaders, and improve decisions while staying motivated.

> It's not just about finding efficiencies. It's about people actually doing the work that they thought they were going to do when they signed up to join a company.
## Key takeaway

Workday CFO Zane Rowe says AI's value lies in better decisions and employee engagement, not simply automating tasks or increasing output.