AI reshapes finance departments and data engineering jobs

Michael Baier, managing director of Michael Page Germany, says artificial intelligence is driving a shift in finance departments toward hybrid role profiles and new competency requirements. He stresses that finance leaders must adapt to AI‑enabled processes to remain effective.

Across the wider IT landscape, data engineers are becoming pivotal to AI initiatives. Their work on pipelines, data cleaning, and validation underpins reliable AI outcomes. A 2024 Air Canada chatbot case highlighted how flawed data, not the AI model, caused erroneous pricing advice, leading to a court‑ordered compensation of CAD 812. The incident underscores the strategic importance of the data‑engineering layer for successful AI deployments.