Can I Trust AI with My Company’s Finances?

The term "AI" is everywhere. We're told it will change everything, but when it comes to your company's financial operations, "new" and "different" can feel more nerve-wracking than exciting. If you’re a financial admin, controller, or owner, you are the guardian of your company’s cash flow. Your job relies on accuracy, security, and control.

If you're skeptical about AI, you're not alone. Recent industry data shows that the construction sector has been one of the slowest to adopt these new technologies. A report from BDO noted that as of early 2024, only about 1.5% of construction firms were using AI. The industry is traditionally conservative for good reason, you can't build a solid building, or a solid business, on unproven foundations.

So, when a company like ours says you should use an "intelligent" platform to handle your financial documents, it’s fair to ask: "Why should I trust it?"

At Constrafor, we believe trust isn't given; it's earned. We built Cru with this skepticism in mind. Here’s a straightforward, data-backed look at how we designed Cru to be a tool you can rely on.

1. It’s Practical AI, Not Science Fiction

The AI in Cru isn't a general-purpose chatbot. It's a highly specialized tool trained on one thing: understanding and processing financial documents for the construction industry.

Think of it less like an all-knowing Siri and more like an incredibly powerful calculator. It’s designed to perform a specific, repetitive set of tasks with immense speed and accuracy. It reads vendor names, invoice numbers, and line items because that is its entire job. By keeping its focus narrow, we ensure its performance is reliable and relevant to your exact needs, such as project-level cost tracking and risk management, two of the top use cases for AI in the industry today.

2. Cru is Pilot, but it's still your plane

Let’s be clear: Cru doesn’t make decisions for you. It does the tedious work so you can make better-informed decisions. You are always in control and you do not want to be left behind. A recent McKinsey report found that 78 percent of respondents say their organizations use AI in at least one business function.

This "human-in-the-loop" approach is a core principle of responsible AI. Cru is built on this exact philosophy. For example, if Cru finds a mismatch between an invoice and a purchase order, it doesn't just "fix" it. It flags the issue in your dashboard and brings it to your attention. You are the one who reviews the finding and makes the final call. Cru provides the data and the insight; you provide the judgment and the action. It’s a partnership designed to augment your expertise, not replace it.

3. Security Isn't an Afterthought; It's the Foundation

We understand that we are handling your most sensitive data. That's why Cru is built on a foundation of bank-level security.

• Read-Only Access: When you connect Cru to your inbox, you are granting it secure, read-only access. It cannot send emails, delete anything, or alter your inbox in any way.

• Targeted Scanning: Cru is programmed to focus on financial documents only, and the emails sent to Cru are at your discretion. 

• Data Encryption: All your data is protected with end-to-end encryption and SOC 2 Compliance, both while it's in transit and when it's at rest in our secure systems.

4. It’s Designed to Reduce Human Error, Not Introduce New Risks

This is where the data is most clear. Manual financial processes are not as risk-free as they feel.

Studies from accounting journals have shown that manual data entry has a baseline error rate between 1% and 5%. While 1% sounds small, for every 1,000 invoices you process, that’s 10 invoices with errors. These aren't just typos; they are transposition errors (entering $91 instead of $19), duplicate payments, or flat-out omissions that can go unnoticed for months.

The consequences are significant. Gartner has reported that poor data quality can cost organizations an average of $12.9 million. In contrast, financial technology company SolveXia states that financial automation can reduce reporting errors by as much as 90%.

Cru acts as a safety net to catch these costly mistakes. It’s designed to mitigate the specific risk of human error by automating data entry and verification. It never gets tired and it doesn't need a second cup of coffee. It’s a consistent, reliable tool to ensure you build your financial reports on a foundation of accurate data.

Trust is Built on Performance

While the construction industry has been cautious, the trend towards automation is accelerating for one simple reason: it works. It delivers real-world results by reducing costs, improving accuracy, and freeing up talented people to do more strategic work. We invite you to see for yourself how this works.