AI is no longer a future consideration for finance leaders—it’s happening now. Accounts payable (AP), long burdened by manual, repetitive work, is emerging as one of the best starting points for organizations exploring AI-powered intelligent automation.

In our recent webinar, AI in Accounting: A Practical Roadmap for Smarter AP, attendees heard from Gerald Ratigan, CFO of Wrap Technologies and member of the IMA Global Board of Directors. With over two decades of global financial leadership across audit, controllership, and corporate governance, Gerald shared a clear, practical lens on how AP teams can leverage automation to save time, reduce costs, and future-proof their function.

If you weren’t able to attend live, you can watch the full session here:

 

Why Accounts Payable Is Ready for Change

As Gerald explained, the traditional AP process has been weighed down by repetitive, rule-based tasks: data entry, invoice validation, email monitoring, and purchase order matching. These manual steps not only slow down finance teams but also increase the risk of human error.

By contrast, AI-Powered Intelligent Automation by Valenta introduces Digital Assistants that take on these tasks—while keeping humans in the loop for oversight. The result is faster processing, reduced errors, and more capacity for finance professionals to focus on strategy instead of paperwork.

Learn More About AI for Accounting

 

What Intelligent Automation Looks Like in AP

The webinar walked through key capabilities of AI-powered digital assistants, including:

• Invoice Data Extraction – automatically capturing data from invoices and validating results
• Approval Workflows – routing payments and invoices based on business rules
• Reconciliation – matching purchase orders, invoices, and payments seamlessly

With these tools, organizations can shift from a manual, labor-intensive AP model to one where the bulk of work is handled by automation—with staff stepping in only for exceptions.

 

Best Practices and Pitfalls to Avoid

Gerald emphasized that adopting intelligent automation isn’t about technology alone—it requires a strategic approach. Best practices include:

• Starting with clear, measurable goals (time saved, error reduction, or cost savings)
• Keeping humans engaged in validation to ensure accuracy and compliance
• Scaling gradually, beginning with high-volume, low-complexity processes

He also cautioned against common pitfalls, such as underestimating change management or failing to involve AP teams early in the rollout.

 

A Practical Roadmap Forward

The session concluded with a roadmap designed to help finance leaders confidently adopt automation in AP. This included:

1. Assessing current processes to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies
2. Prioritizing automation opportunities based on business impact
3. Deploying digital assistants with clear oversight mechanisms
4. Measuring results and building momentum for wider adoption

Looking ahead, Gerald emphasized that the future of finance teams lies in striking the right balance between automation and human judgment—a future where finance professionals serve as strategists and advisors, empowered by AI.

 

Moving Forward with Smarter AP

The big takeaway from this webinar is that intelligent automation isn’t about replacing people—it’s about giving your team the tools to do their best work. When routine AP tasks are handled by Digital Assistants, finance professionals gain the time to focus on strategy, compliance, and the initiatives that really move the business forward.

If this resonates with you, there are a couple of simple next steps. 

1. You can dive deeper into how AI-Powered Intelligent Automation is transforming accounting by visiting our Accounting Resource Page.
2. If you’re ready to start shaping your own roadmap, you can also book a free consultation with a Valenta expert to talk through your specific AP challenges and opportunities.

This webinar was just the beginning. Watch the recording above, explore the resources, and imagine what your finance team could achieve with the right blend of people and automation working together.