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AI errors now reaching the boardroom
New research from Workiva, a leading, audit-ready platform for trust, transparency, and accountability, finds that one in four executives report AI errors are reaching external audiences or boards raising fear that organizations which fail to address data quality and investor concerns risk losing ground to more proactive peers.
In the Workiva’s 2026 Midyear Executive Benchmark Survey 71% of executives report that poor data quality is impacting their the use of AI in financial and sustainability report. Over time, weak or unverifiable data erodes credibility with stakeholders and 89% of investors are concerned by AI accuracy in corporate disclosures.
For CFOs and financial reporting teams, the message is clear: AI is only as strong as the systems governing its output. As AI agents become more autonomous, executives expect demand for specialist infrastructure to grow. More than half (55%) say they will need platforms to manage agents and automated workflows, while 49% still see systems of record such as general ledgers as essential. Meanwhile, 45% point to the growing need for software that provides traceability and auditability.
“Generic AI isn’t enough for financial reporting,” says Jason Darby, Chief Financial Officer, Amalgamated Bank. “Investors, regulators, and boards expect answers they can trust. The real advantage comes from specialized AI built on governed, auditable data and paired with human judgment, giving organizations the confidence to verify what AI produces and stand behind the decisions and disclosures that follow.”
Workiva’s data also finds that although 84% of executives say they are at least somewhat confident in AI outputs without human review, 27% saying that poor data quality is significantly blocking key workloads. With only 11% of executives believing their data quality is sufficient for AI use, it suggests that enterprise AI can only scale where there is confidence in, and control over, the underlying data.
“Confidence in AI without control over data quality is a liability, not a strategy,” comments Barbara Larson, Chief Financial Officer, Workiva. “CFOs need platforms that connect AI to trusted, auditable data so every output is one they can verify and every disclosure is one they can defend. Getting this right is about more than avoiding errors. Business leaders can move faster and embed AI deeper into their operations when they trust what their systems produce. That's a real competitive edge.”
Workiva’s 2026 Midyear Executive Benchmark Survey polled 2,272 finance, risk and sustainability professionals, including 847 C-suite executives, alongside 367 institutional investors across North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the UK.