AI gets the headlines, but it's not the whole story for finance leaders

For the 500th episode of the Journal of Accountancy podcast, the show went on the road to the Future of Finance Summit. The conversation with the AICPA's Tom Hood, CPA/CITP, CGMA, executive vice president–Business Growth and Engagement, focuses on how finance leaders are moving beyond exploration of artificial intelligence and into active piloting and scaling. Hood discussed priorities other than AI for finance leaders, who gathered last week in National Harbor, Md. Hood also looked back on the growth of the Future of Finance community, explaining how the "wisdom of the crowd" is one of the event's big draws. What you'll learn from this episode: A brief look back at the start of the JofA podcast, which has published 500 episodes. What live polling at last week's Future of Finance Summit revealed about the pace of AI adoption in corporate finance functions. Senior finance leaders' top issues in 2026 other than AI. How finance leaders are trying to balance growth initiatives with continued pressure to control costs. Why Hood says the Future of Finance community is helping leaders learn faster through case studies, peer collaboration, and shared best practices. A look ahead to the 2027 Future of Finance Summit.