International finance and accounting expert, Osarense Dorothy Iguodala, has said that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the finance profession by enhancing efficiency, security, and strategic insight.
Disclosing this in a media statement recently, she asserts, harping on the fact that AI is not a replacement for professional judgment but a powerful tool that amplifies it.
According to her, while there are rising fears that machines may replace core duties such as data entry, reconciliation, and compliance reporting, the reality is that AI's introduction marks a shift toward a more strategic and value-driven financial function.
Drawing from her extensive experience in transaction advisory, financial due diligence, and high-level audits for multi-billion-dollar enterprises in Nigeria and the United States, Iguodala explained that AI is changing the way finance professionals work.
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Highlighting key benefits, she identified efficiency, security, and insight as the three critical areas where AI is making a transformative impact. She noted that AI's ability to process large volumes of data at remarkable speed has made it indispensable for modern businesses.
"AI automates transactional tasks such as invoice processing, journal entries, and reconciliations," she explained, "allowing finance teams to spend less time recording the past and more time forecasting the future."
The statement further said that this automation is crucial for businesses seeking agility and smarter decision-making in a rapidly evolving financial environment.
Iguodala further pointed out that beyond efficiency, AI has become vital for improving financial security.
Through her published research, she emphasized that AI-driven tools are now essential in detecting sophisticated fraud and strengthening anti-money laundering (AML) measures.
"These algorithms can spot complex patterns and anomalies across billions of transactions in real time, providing a strong defense line that manual processes simply cannot match," she said in her statement.
She also underscored the role of AI in delivering strategic insight, explaining that by analyzing both historical and real-time financial data, AI tools can generate superior financial models, risk assessments, and forecasts.
To illustrate the evolving collaboration between humans and technology, Iguodala pointed out that even the professional headshot for this publication was AI-generated. She used this as an example to reinforce her central thesis: while AI is a powerful amplifier for efficiency and security, it fundamentally lacks the indispensable human elements of professional judgements, ethical reasoning, and strategic foresight. The lack of similar human elements which are present in the headshot.
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As a recognized voice in global finance and technology, Iguodala also serves as an expert judge for international innovation competitions such as the Conrad Challenge 2025 and Technovation 2025, and as a reviewer for leading journals in economics, business, and accounting.
Iguodala is a First-Class Honors graduate from the University of Lagos (UNILAG), she holds multiple prestigious professional designations including Certified Public Accountant (CPA) USA, Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) Canada, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).
