Accounts payable is entering a new era. After years of focusing on digitization and process automation, organizations are now applying artificial intelligence to improve decision-making, accelerate workflows, and transform AP into a more intelligent, data-driven business function.
This article series is based on the findings from State of AP 2026: AI Rising, a new research report sponsored by Medius and xSuite. Drawing on the perspectives of 194 accounts payable, P2P, and finance leaders, the research explores how organizations are adopting AI, where they are realizing the greatest value, the operational challenges they continue to face, and the capabilities that distinguish top-performing AP organizations.
Throughout this series, we’ll examine the report’s most important findings, including the current state of AP, emerging AI use cases, automation trends, AI readiness and maturity, and the strategies leading organizations are using to prepare for more autonomous finance operations. Whether your organization is beginning its AI journey or expanding existing initiatives, these articles will provide research-backed insights to help guide the next phase of AP transformation.
In Part Seven of our series, we explore how AP artificial intelligence requires a strong infrastructure of established technologies, such as automated workflows and electronic payments, to function effectively. Because AI outputs depend heavily on high-quality input, organizations are increasingly prioritizing self-service supplier portals to optimize the data foundation that powers these intelligent workflows.
The Infrastructure Imperative: AP Technology in 2026
A modern aircraft does not become intelligent when the pilot enters the cockpit. Its intelligence is built on a foundation of systems, sensors, controls, and data that were put in place long before takeoff. Accounts payable AI works much the same way. The cockpit is intelligent because everything beneath it was built first.
In 2026, that foundation is more mature than at any point in the history of the profession. Document imaging and scanning lead technology adoption at 72%, reflecting AP’s long evolution away from paper-based processes. Automated routing and approval workflows follow at 68%, providing the digital infrastructure that moves invoices efficiently through the organization. Electronic payments and automated data capture and extraction are each deployed at 62%, confirming that many organizations have completed the most consequential steps in AP’s digital transformation.
Taken together, these findings describe a market that has spent years building the systems required for greater automation, visibility, and control. The significance for AI is straightforward. Organizations that have invested in foundational AP technologies have created a stronger platform for AI adoption. Those that have not may find that modernizing core processes remains the first step in their journey.
One finding deserves particular attention. Self-service supplier portals are currently deployed by only 35% of organizations, yet 42% plan to implement them within the next 24 months, the highest planned adoption rate of any solution category. This forward-looking investment reflects a growing recognition that supplier experience directly affects invoice quality, electronic submission rates, exception volumes, and overall process efficiency. Better supplier engagement creates better process outcomes, which in turn creates better data. As AI becomes more embedded in AP operations, the quality of that supplier data foundation will increasingly determine the quality of AI outputs.
Access this exclusive research today by downloading the State of AP 2026: AI Rising report now.
