Every so often, a once-in-a-generation technology comes around that divides opinion across the business and academic worlds. It's hard to think of a recent technology that encapsulates this split opinion more than artificial intelligence (AI). To some, it represents everything from driverless cars for the masses to finding a cure for cancer. To others, such as Stephen Hawking, it could spell the end of the human race as we know it.

The debate is music to the ears of academics and philosophers. But for corporate treasurers immersed in the day-to-day pressures of reducing costs and boosting the top line, does AI really have anything to offer?