South African businesses are not short on AI ambition but many are struggling to move from conversation to execution, or from proof of concept into production. While CIOs increasingly understand the potential of artificial intelligence, CFOs are often left unconvinced, unsure whether proposed solutions will deliver measurable value or simply add another line item to an already pressured budget.
According to Dawood Patel, CEO of Helm, this disconnect between technology and finance leadership is one of the biggest blockers to meaningful AI adoption in South Africa. “We see a consistent pattern where CIOs are excited about what AI could do, while CFOs are understandably cautious about what it will actually deliver,” says Patel. “When those two perspectives don’t align, AI initiatives stall, not because the technology isn’t viable, but because trust hasn’t been established.”
The challenge is amplified locally by what Patel describes as a “perfect storm” of conditions:
- Low data maturity across many organisations
- Legacy systems that are difficult to integrate or interrogate
- A crowded market where predictive analytics and automation are frequently marketed as “AI”, eroding trust
- Rather obviously, but quite crucially, price
“There’s a lot of noise in the market,” Patel explains. “CFOs are being sold ‘AI’ that is often little more than rebranded predictive analytics. That makes them cautious and rightly so.”
The result is a growing disconnect: CIOs struggle to secure buy-in, while CFOs struggle to distinguish credible AI investments from hype.
For CIOs, Patel says the challenge is less about technology and more about translation. “CFOs don’t approve algorithms, they approve outcomes,” he says. “If the value isn’t framed in commercial terms, the conversation is already lost.”
AI proposals should clearly link to outcomes such as:
- Cost reduction or avoidance
- Revenue protection or uplift
- Risk mitigation or compliance improvement
- Productivity gains in high-value functions
“If a CIO can’t explain what decision improves or what cost disappears because of AI, the CFO can’t justify the spend,” Patel adds.
Overselling AI readiness is one of the fastest ways to lose credibility. “AI doesn’t fix poor data or broken processes, it amplifies them,” says Patel. “CIOs need to be upfront about the foundational work required, even if it’s uncomfortable.”
Rather than positioning AI as a large, transformational investment, Patel recommends phased delivery.
“Start small, prove value, then scale. CFOs are far more willing to fund something they can test and measure than something they’re expected to believe in.”
Patel is equally clear that CFOs don’t need to become technologists, but they do need sharper questions.
“One of the most important questions a CFO can ask is whether the solution genuinely learns or adapts over time,” Patel says. “If it doesn’t, it may still be valuable but it shouldn’t be sold as AI.”
AI should enable better or faster decisions, not just prettier dashboards. “If the output doesn’t change behaviour or decision-making, the ROI will always be questionable,” Patel notes.
“Data quality is one of the biggest hidden risks in AI,” he says. “CFOs should be asking where the data comes from, how reliable it is, and who owns its quality.”
Clear checkpoints matter. “AI shouldn’t be an open-ended experiment,” Patel explains. “There need to be defined milestones where the business can say: this is working, this needs adjustment, or this stops.”
In the short term, alignment between the CIO and CFO enables organisations to cut through market noise and avoid hype-driven investments. Instead of chasing ambitious, poorly defined initiatives, businesses can focus on targeted, low-risk use cases that demonstrate measurable value early on. This builds internal confidence, establishes credibility across leadership teams, and creates a more disciplined approach to AI investment.
Over the longer term, that same alignment lays the groundwork for stronger data foundations and more confident digital investment decisions. As trust develops between technology and finance functions, AI can move beyond isolated experiments and become embedded as a core business capability supporting smarter decision-making, operational resilience and sustained competitive advantage.
“When CIOs and CFOs are aligned, AI stops being a debate about technology and becomes a discussion about competitive advantage,” Patel says.
AI adoption doesn’t fail because of a lack of tools, it fails because of a lack of shared understanding. “When CFOs have the right questions and CIOs provide the right context, trust follows,” Patel concludes. “That’s when AI solutions get approved, implemented and paid for with confidence.”
For more information on Helm and the services it offers, please visit www.helm.africa or book a meeting by clicking here.
