Prediction 2026: How AI Will Redefine Accounts Payable Leadership and Operations

It’s no surprise that every prediction for the coming year seems to revolve around AI, and ours is no different.

AI is rapidly changing the way Accounts Payable (AP) is managed. To get a well-rounded view of what’s ahead, we asked our own experts two key questions from their unique perspectives:

• What can we expect from AI for Accounts Payable in 2026?
• What does AI require from us as users and decision-makers in 2026?

Here’s what they had to say:

Setting the Vision: Mikko Hytonen, CEO

AI in 2026 isn’t just a tool, it’s a leadership test. For executives, the question isn’t “Should we use AI?” but “How do we lead with it?” You have to walk the talk. If you’re not out in front, your team won’t follow. Here are three key points to keep in mind:

• Set the vision, not just the budget. AI should be woven into your strategy, not treated as a side project. Leaders need to define clear outcomes—like efficiency, resilience, and growth—and make sure investments and time are aligned.
  
  
• Empower people, not replace them. AI works best when it’s paired with human judgment. Raise AI literacy across your organization so teams can work with technology, not against it.
  
  
• Govern with confidence. Ethical use, regulatory compliance, and data integrity aren’t optional, they’re the foundation of trust. Build frameworks that make accountability visible and decisions defensible.

In short, AI demands leaders who can move fast without breaking trust, i.e. visionaries who balance ambition with responsibility. Those who master this will turn AI from a buzzword into the core of their business.

Bringing AI to Everyday Operations: Kristin Ewart, Professional Services Director

With the big-picture vision in place, let’s see how these leadership ideas play out in everyday work. Kristin Ewart, who works closely with our customers, shares how AI is changing the day-to-day world of Accounts Payable:

• More AP departments will move from “partial automation plus manual steps” to “touchless” or “straight-through processing” workflows, cutting out manual data entry and approvals.
  
  
• As automation spreads, AP will stop being just a cost center and become a strategic part of finance, enabling faster payments, better cash-flow management, and stronger vendor relationships.
  
  
• The focus will shift from “doing the work” to reviewing, validating, and steering automation.
  
  
• Teams will get comfortable with partial autonomy. AI does the first draft, and users refine the outcome.

Raising the Bar: Scott Schlegel, Partner Channel Director

As automation becomes the new normal, expectations for AI keep growing. Scott Schlegel offers his perspective on how organizations can raise the bar and get even more value from AI—well beyond just automating routine tasks:

Everywhere I’ve read talks about setting much higher expectations for AI in 2026, especially when it comes to core accounting functions. For AP automation, that should include touchless processing, predictive processing decisions, and true seamless integration.

Concerning what AI requires from us, I saw a wonderful quote on this topic: “When working with AI, act like a decision maker, not a tool-user.” In other words, don’t just use AI for writing emails, building slide decks, or taking notes. Begin to expand your thinking about what AI can do in many aspects of your business, including Sales, Operations, and Accounting. The more you broaden your perspective, the more value you’ll get from these technologies.

Understanding the Technology: Lauri Holttä, CTO

To keep up with these rising expectations, it’s important to understand the technology behind the transformation. Lauri Holttä explains how GenAI is becoming a core part of AP automation, and why it’s so important to tell the difference between truly AI-native solutions and those with just surface-level features:

• GenAI is going mainstream in AP process automation. The best AP automation products will integrate GenAI deeply into the product structure, with robust management of AI uncertainty and support for financial audits.
  
  
• It’s essential to understand GenAI well enough to spot which products are truly AI-native and which just have superficial features, like simple chatbots.

Embracing the Cultural Shift: Anna Tujunen, Chief Product Officer

Of course, as technology and processes evolve, workplace culture needs to evolve, too. Anna Tujunen explores the cultural changes needed to fully embrace AI in Accounts Payable, highlighting the importance of trust, adaptability, and the new role users play in guiding smart systems:

• AI will shift AP from task-driven work to event- and process-driven operations. Instead of relying on thousands of rules, AI systems will interpret high-level company policies, understand context, and generalize to new invoice scenarios.
  
  
• With Dooap, we’re opening up AI configurations to end-users, making AI understandable and fully controllable.
  
  
• A cultural shift is needed in AP. Accounting has always been thorough, but AI operates differently. It delivers steady 99%+ accuracy at scale and automates work in ways we haven’t seen before. Yes, AI can make mistakes—just like people—but in well-governed systems, it removes huge amounts of manual effort and catches errors no human would spot.
  
  
• Our job is to learn to trust this new way of working and focus on guiding the system, rather than executing every detail ourselves.

As we look ahead to 2026, it’s clear that AI will be at the heart of Accounts Payable transformation. Success won’t just come from adopting new technology, but from embracing new ways of leading, working, and thinking. By setting a clear vision, empowering teams, understanding the tech, and fostering a culture of trust and adaptability, organizations can turn AI predictions into real progress.

Happy New Year and good luck as you take the next steps on your AI journey!