With 2025 seeing continuations of how artificial intelligence takes over the market, including the Finance function, it is important how finance leaders get a good grasp of how they can make use of technology for revenue.
Arguably, there is still a lot of room for growth for Finance teams in terms of fully leveraging AI-driven automation, especially considering the Asia-Pacific region, where countries herein have varying levels of technological readiness.
Although some organisations are becoming increasingly comfortable to use advanced technologies to improve accuracy, efficiency, and overall business performance, it should still be in a finance leader's to-do list to learn how to harness AI more efficiently and effectively to discover new streams for revenue.
Tony Wang, chief revenue officer at real-time engagement platform Agora, believes there is a need for Finance teams to understand the convergence of AI technology and IP monetisation.
Finance and digital transformation
When it comes to where Finance teams are already in terms of their journey in digital transformation, Wang thinks Finance professionals, particularly in the entertainment and IP licensing sectors, are excelling in leveraging AI and robotics to unlock new revenue streams and enhance asset management.
In his view, advancements in AI-powered toys and interactive merchandise allow Finance teams to innovate IP monetisation strategies by creating AI voice agents on these products.
He says the ability to reimagine IP toys to see, think, react, and talk is transforming how finance teams approach IP monetisation, citing how their platform, for example, empowers IP holders like Marvel Studios and Universal Studios to turn their iconic characters into interactive AI-driven toys.
These toys, according to Wang, which are enabled by voice interaction, emotional AI, and multi-device compatibility, are now generating subscription-based revenue models, with average ARPA (average revenue per user) ranging from $80 to $150.
"This shift towards digital transformation allows for recurring revenue streams beyond the traditional licensing models, a trend that’s accelerating as AI technology continues to evolve," Wang explains.
Over the past months, he observed that Finance teams are now able to track and monetise IP assets in ways previously impossible.
AI toy solutions, such as that of Agora, allow finance professionals to monitor real-time engagement metrics, subscription revenues, and user interaction patterns across global markets, shifting financial planning from traditional quarterly licensing reviews to dynamic, data-driven revenue optimisation strategies.
AI technology and IP monetisation
Wang believes Finance teams need to understand the convergence of AI technology and IP monetisation, and key skills including analysing user engagement metrics from AI toys, evaluating subscription-based revenue models, and assessing the ROI of AI integration in consumer products, are essential in this journey.
He explains that when working with platforms, finance professionals should understand how features like voice cloning, emotional AI, and multi-device interaction can create value for IP holders and drive consumer engagement across different age groups and user profiles.
Leveraging AI and other advanced technologies to boost the team's financial analysis and decision-making processes can be tricky. Wang suggests that implementing AI-powered analytics platforms that track real-time engagement with IP-based products can be of help.
He adds that key data attributes, which include user engagement metrics, voice interaction patterns, feature usage rates, and subscription retention data, can be utilised by finance to achieve their desired business outcomes.
"For AI toys, we track specific metrics like emotional AI engagement, voice command response rates, meta data synchronisation and multi-toy interaction patterns," Wang says.
The Agora chief revenue officer further explains that there is a need to focus on developing expertise in AI-driven revenue models and IP monetisation strategies.
"Finance teams need to understand how technologies like voice cloning, emotional AI, and interactive features can create value from IP assets," he notes.
"Following Agora's three-step integration model, teams should first understand the cloud, edge computing and device AI chips capabilities, then learn how these translate to revenue opportunities, and finally master the analytics tools that track performance. This ensures teams can effectively evaluate and optimise AI toy initiatives." Tony Wang
Recommendations
To maximise the benefits of new technological advancements and ultimately open new revenue streams for the organisations, Wang advises finance leaders to embrace the convergence of AI technology and IP monetisation.
He also suggests to partner with established platforms that offer turnkey solutions for transforming IP into interactive AI toys.
"Consider subscription-based models that can generate consistent revenue streams. Focus on platforms that provide comprehensive analytics and global reach," he says.
"Most importantly, ensure your technology investments can scale across different IP properties and market segments while maintaining engagement through features like voice interaction, emotional AI, and multi-device compatibility. This approach can help transform static IP assets into dynamic, revenue-generating products." Tony Wang
