Research on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in finance has been growing significantly alongside its increasing implementation in the financial sector. This development raises questions about the specific financial areas and AI technology applications that are most frequently explored as research topics within AI in finance. This study aims to address these questions by employing a systematic literature review (SLR) method, analyzing journal articles indexed in Scopus (Q1–Q4) and published between 2020 and 2024. A search conducted using Publish or Perish on the Scopus database identified 496 records, which were subsequently filtered to 94 articles using the PRISMA protocol. The selected articles were examined through bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer, followed by content analysis. The findings reveal that fintech and risk management are the most frequently discussed financial areas in AI in finance research. Moreover, machine learning emerges as the most commonly addressed AI technology application in this domain. Notably, the combination of machine learning and risk management stands out as the most prominent research topic.