Growth and Optimization
2026 AP Automation Trends Report: The case for embedded AI
At SAP Concur, we’ve seen AP teams make incredible progress over the last few years. Automation has expanded, visibility has improved, and AI is beginning to play a larger role in day-to-day finance operations.
Yet one challenge continues to surface again and again: too much manual work.
According to the latest Accounts Payable Automation Trends 2026 report from Institute of Financial Operations & Leadership (IFOL), 77% of organizations still manually enter invoices into their accounting systems, up from 66% just one year ago.
So why does manual work remain such a persistent challenge?
The answer may not be a lack of automation, but where that automation lives.
The hidden cost of disconnected workflows
Nearly three-quarters of survey respondents said their organizations are planning to automate or further enhance AP processes, yet only 7% describe their AP function as fully automated.
That gap helps explain why manual work remains such a persistent challenge. Over time, many organizations add technologies and processes to address specific operational needs. While those investments can deliver meaningful benefits, they can also create new handoffs, duplicate work, and disconnected experiences.
That's why the next opportunity often lies in connecting workflows, not just automating individual tasks.
Why embedded AI matters
The report shows that AI adoption is accelerating, with 19% of organizations now using AI and another 30% planning to adopt it within the next year. But as AI becomes more common, the question is no longer if organizations should use it, but how they can apply it most effectively.
The survey offers some interesting clues. Among organizations already using AI, the three most common applications are:
- Invoice data capture and entry (58%)
- Invoice matching and approvals (49%)
- Duplicate or fraud detection (40%)
These findings support an approach to intelligent automation that SAP Concur has been championing for nearly a decade.
When AI is embedded across invoice and spend management workflows, it can help reduce manual data entry, surface exceptions sooner, improve visibility, and support better decisions without requiring teams to change how they work.
In other words, the most effective AI isn't the kind that demands attention. It’s the kind that quietly helps work happen faster, more accurately, and with less effort.
The goal isn’t faster invoice processing
Another finding that stood out to us was that 70% of respondents believe automation and AI would allow their teams to focus on more strategic work.
That's an important reminder that AP transformation isn't really about invoices. It's about reducing administrative work so finance teams can contribute in more strategic ways.
Modern invoice management solutions, like Concur Invoice, give finance teams more time to focus on the activities that create value for the business:
- Improving visibility of spending
- Strengthening compliance
- Supporting supplier relationships
- Managing risk and streamlining audits
- Using real-time analytics for better financial decisions
The organizations seeing the greatest success are often the ones using technology not just to automate tasks, but to remove friction across the entire spend management process.
That’s also where choosing the right invoice management solution can make a measurable difference.
For example, Phronesis Partners Research found that accounting/finance teams using SAP Concur process 54% more invoices per hour than Coupa users and report 56% user satisfaction.
The future of modern AP automation is here
As AI continues to evolve, organizations that embed it directly into the workflows their teams use every day will be better positioned to reduce manual effort, improve visibility, and help AP play a more strategic role across the business.
For a deeper look at the survey insights, download the full Accounts Payable Automation Trends 2026 report.
If you'd like to discuss how these findings apply to your organization, we're always happy to help.
