Planful Inc., the pioneer of financial performance management cloud software, announced the general availability of Planful AI Analyst Assistant, an agentic AI assistant purpose-built for finance. Analyst Assistant redefines how finance teams work by removing the burden of manual analysis and empowering them to focus on strategic decision-making. First previewed at Planful's Perform25 user conference, Analyst Assistant is now available to all customers.

"With the launch of our Analyst Assistant, we're delivering on the promise of AI for finance: practical, explainable, and built on trust," said Steve Welsh, Chief Product Officer at Planful. "Finance professionals cannot afford to spend hours digging through data; they need fast, reliable answers. Planful AI Analyst Assistant turns complexity into clarity with instant insights and drill-downs, giving finance teams more time to focus on what matters most."

Planful AI  is built into the Planful platform to augment — not replace — the expertise of finance professionals. It's powered by OpenAI and Planful's patented calculation engine to deliver explainable insights tailored to each user's role and security permissions. Grounded in financial IQ, such as fiscal calendars, charts of accounts, and dimensional security, Planful AI delivers accuracy and relevance that teams can trust. The result is less manual effort and more time for impactful decision-making.

Analyst Assistant responds to plain-language conversational prompts such as "What's driving the Q2 OpEx variance in North America?" and delivers explainable visualizations and narratives in seconds. Early adopters reported a reduction of up to 70% in manual analysis and nearly 100% prompt accuracy.