Why are CFOs Spending More Time on Investor Relations?

Research from Gartner finds that CFOs are spending more time on investor relations as the use of AI tools in investor research plays a more significant role.

The report, which surveyed 146 CFOs from October 2025 to December 2025, finds that 35% of respondents saw an increase in the volume, frequency and time sensitivity of investor communications and engagements in 2025 when compared to 2024. 

Nearly half of CFOs reported an increase in time spent preparing for earnings calls, while 34% shared a rise in the proportion of unexpected investor questions during earnings calls.

Discussing the findings of the report, Dymah Page, Director Analyst, Research at the Gartner Financial practice says: “It is going to become increasingly difficult for organisations to control their narrative and influence investors with manual methods alone.”

Proactively implementing AI 

This rise in time spent preparing for investor conversations, Gartner suggests, comes as investors increase their use of AI tools in their own research processes – using AI to extract insights from news and calls, identify patterns and process data. 

To better manage this, the report recommends CFOs leverage these same private AI tools in “constrained and traceable environments”. 

Gartner recommends CFOs advocate for governance tools and training for employees to ensure AI can be well regulated and used efficiently.

Dymah says: “Many institutional investors are using or evaluating AI tools in their investment and research processes. 

“If CFOs want to communicate to the markets effectively while protecting their organisations against the hallucinations of public AI-powered answer engines, they must adapt their investor communication strategies to AI, as well as humans.”

Transforming the CFO role

As these AI-related challenges in investor relations rise, many CFOs and other financial leaders are actively adopting AI and related technologies to significantly boost organisational productivity within the finance function. 

Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet and Google, has consistently advocated for the use of AI technology in the financial sector. 

Ruth joined Google as its Chief Financial Officer in May 2015 – a position she held until 2024, when she transitioned to the role she holds today. 

In an October 2025 panel session at the Fortune Global Forum, Ruth shared that, while she believes we are living in an “extraordinary time” in regards to the advancement of AI capabilities, she advises that successfully integrating AI within a function or organisation may take time. 

She explains: “That’s the speed of adoption in a truly substantive way, so that each of us can experience the economic uplift that AI offers. The upside from AI does require a fundamental rethink of every process.”

Using AI to model the impact of different investment scenarios can allow CFOs to quickly identify optimal growth opportunities and best evaluate merger and acquisition targets – but a core part of any AI strategy, Ruth says, “must include training, education and skilling”, for the wider finance function. 

Going forward, Gartner recommends CFOs use AI to balance innovation with financial discipline. Adopting these tools in a considered way throughout an organisation can help CFOs transform their approach to investor relations, using AI as a strategic partner to provide predictive insights, increase productivity and deliver real value.