Paul Lynch argues AI cannot replace strategic judgment in finance — and that most “AI-powered FP&A” is sophisticated automation dressed up in buzzwords
SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Centage, a leader in modern financial planning and analysis (FP&A) software, today announced that CEO Paul Lynch has been published in CFO Leadership with a contrarian perspective on artificial intelligence in financial planning — one that challenges the dominant narrative being sold to CFOs across the industry.
The article, titled “The AI Lie That’s Costing Finance Teams Millions,” argues that most AI-powered FP&A solutions are masking basic automation behind machine learning buzzwords, and that vendors are targeting the wrong problem entirely. Lynch contends that AI models are fundamentally probabilistic while finance is deterministic — making “approximately correct” an unacceptable standard for board-level decisions.
“AI cannot replace your FP&A analysts. Not today. Not in five years. Probably not in 10,” Lynch writes. “The hard part of FP&A isn’t crunching numbers — it’s understanding context. AI doesn’t know that Q3’s revenue dip happened because your biggest customer delayed a purchase order due to some internal political mess on their end.”
Lynch’s piece is drawing attention for its pointed challenge to vendors — including a list of questions CFOs can ask in any AI pitch meeting to quickly determine whether the technology is substantive or superficial. His conclusion: the real bottleneck holding finance teams back isn’t analyst capability, it’s infrastructure. AI’s most valuable role is eliminating the data reconciliation, manual consolidation, and implementation complexity that traps strategic thinkers in tactical work.
“Fix the infrastructure. Eliminate the drudgery. Then watch what your team can accomplish when they’re actually free to do real work,” Lynch writes.
The piece reflects Centage’s broader philosophy that finance transformation comes from empowering analysts, not replacing them — a positioning that runs counter to much of the current FP&A software market.
The full article is available here.
About Centage
Centage provides intelligent FP&A software that empowers mid-market finance teams to plan smarter, forecast faster, and deliver strategic insights that drive business growth. The company’s cloud-based platform automates budgeting, forecasting, and reporting while eliminating the spreadsheet complexity that prevents finance leaders from becoming true strategic partners to the CEO. Founded in 2001 and based in San Antonio, TX, Centage serves organizations across industries including manufacturing, healthcare, nonprofits, and professional services. For more information, visit www.centage.com.
Media Contact:
Andrew Fear, VP of Marketing @ Centage
andrew.fear@centage.com
800.366.5111
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SOURCE Centage Corporation
