North East Business News

Issue 119

As another business year draws to a close, many SME owners and leadership teams are taking stock. What worked well? What fell short? And most importantly, how can they position their organisations for a stronger 2026? One topic dominating those conversations is artificial intelligence. AI is everywhere, in conference agendas, software demonstrations and strategic plans. It is being presented as the next great leap forward for finance functions, promising faster reporting, predictive forecasting, automated bookkeeping, and deeper insights. But as with any major shift, it is worth stepping back at this point in the year to cut through the hype and consider what really matters. There is no doubt that AI can reshape how finance teams operate. We have already seen it automate repetitive tasks such as invoice processing, expense categorisation and elements of cashflow forecasting. It can now scan large volumes of data in seconds, flag anomalies before they…