FP&A Tomorrow: Future of AI & Quantum Computing for Finance Leaders
FP&A Tomorrow Podcast · 48 min
FP&A Tomorrow explores the long-term future of financial planning and analysis, and this episode — featuring Glenn Hopper, CFO, author of Deep Finance, and one of the most prominent AI voices in the CFO community — is one of its most thought-provoking. The conversation spans near-term AI adoption in FP&A, medium-term autonomous finance, and the longer-term implications of quantum computing for financial modelling.
Glenn Hopper's unique value as a podcast guest is his combination of CFO practitioner experience, AI technical literacy, and long-term perspective as an author and thought leader. Most CFO AI discussions stay in the near-term; Hopper's willingness to engage seriously with 5–10 year implications including quantum computing makes this podcast episode unusually useful for finance leaders thinking about their technology investment roadmap beyond the next 18 months.
Glenn Hopper's AI in Finance Framework
Glenn opens by distinguishing three phases of AI's impact on finance: AI as augmentation (AI helps humans work faster and more accurately — where most organisations are today), AI as automation (AI handles entire workflows with minimal human oversight — where leading organisations are heading), and AI as transformation (AI changes the fundamental nature of what finance teams do — the emerging frontier). Most CFOs are still in the augmentation phase and underestimate the speed of the transition.
- Phase 1 - Augmentation: AI makes analysts faster and more accurate (most orgs today)
- Phase 2 - Automation: AI handles workflows end-to-end with light human oversight
- Phase 3 - Transformation: AI changes what the finance function fundamentally does
- Hopper's view: most CFOs are 2-3 years behind on this progression
Near-Term AI Priorities for CFOs
Glenn's near-term AI recommendations for CFOs are specific and practical: start with finance data quality (AI amplifies bad data, not just good data), identify the highest-volume, lowest-judgment processes first (accounts payable reconciliation, routine variance analysis, standard report generation), and build AI literacy in your team before deploying AI systems (understanding how to evaluate AI outputs is the critical skill).
Autonomous Finance: What It Actually Looks Like
The podcast's most detailed section covers Glenn's vision of autonomous finance — finance processes that run without human initiation. His examples: accounts payable that processes and approves invoices automatically within defined parameters, variance analysis that identifies root causes and drafts management commentary automatically, and rolling forecasts that update in real time as operational data changes. Glenn is careful to note that 'autonomous' doesn't mean 'unmonitored' — it means human review is triggered by exceptions, not required for every transaction.
Quantum Computing: 5-10 Year Finance Horizon
The podcast's most forward-looking section covers quantum computing's potential impact on financial modelling. Glenn's view: quantum computing will primarily impact finance through portfolio optimisation (finding optimal capital allocation across hundreds of variables simultaneously), risk modelling (Monte Carlo simulations that currently take hours running in seconds), and cryptography implications for financial security infrastructure. He estimates meaningful quantum finance applications are 5-10 years from widespread deployment.
- Portfolio optimisation: quantum can evaluate exponentially more scenarios simultaneously
- Risk modelling: Monte Carlo simulations that take hours become seconds
- Cryptography: quantum will break current encryption standards — finance security must adapt
- Timeline estimate: 5-10 years to meaningful enterprise deployment
Most CFOs are still thinking about AI as a tool that helps their team work faster. They need to start thinking about AI as a structural change to what their team does — that's a completely different investment decision.— Glenn Hopper, CFO & Author, Deep Finance (FP&A Tomorrow Podcast, Jan 2025)
Practical Implementation Checklist
- Assess your organisation's current AI phase honestly using Hopper's framework: Augmentation (AI helps humans work faster), Automation (AI handles workflows), or Transformation (AI changes what finance does) — most will be in phase 1, thinking they're in phase 2
- Start your AI journey with a data quality assessment: map your finance data sources, identify the most significant quality gaps, and set a 90-day target to address the highest-priority gap before deploying any AI tool
- Design your AI governance for 'triggered-human-review' not 'no-human-review': define which processes require human approval before action, which are auto-executed within defined parameters, and what triggers a human escalation
- Read Hopper's book Deep Finance alongside listening to this episode — the podcast provides the high-level framework; the book provides the depth needed to implement his recommendations
- Build quantum computing awareness into your 5-year technology roadmap: even if quantum deployment is 5–10 years away, the cryptographic security implications (quantum breaks current encryption) require planning now
- For Monte Carlo risk modelling: understand that quantum computing will make currently infeasible simulation runs (millions of scenarios simultaneously) feasible — this will change how finance teams quantify and communicate risk
FP&A Tomorrow's episode with Glenn Hopper is the most forward-looking CFO technology podcast available. Its combination of near-term AI implementation guidance and longer-term quantum computing perspective gives CFOs a technology roadmap that extends beyond the typical 18-month planning horizon — useful for any finance leader building a technology investment strategy that remains relevant through 2030.
Key Takeaways
Three AI phases: augmentation (most orgs) → automation → transformation — the transition is faster than most CFOs expect
Start with data quality: AI amplifies data problems, it doesn't compensate for them
Autonomous finance is triggered-human-review, not no-human-review — the distinction matters for governance
Quantum computing will primarily impact: portfolio optimisation, Monte Carlo risk modelling, and cryptographic security
Glenn's book Deep Finance is recommended companion reading for any CFO serious about this trajectory
Most CFOs are in phase 1 (augmentation) while thinking they're in phase 2 (automation) — honest self-assessment is the first step
Quantum cryptography implications require planning now even though deployment is 5–10 years away — current encryption standards will be broken
